May 19, 2023
“Global Dependence Upon Corn Belt Dent Maize Germplasm: Challenges and Opportunities” with Dr. Stephen Smith, Affiliate Professor at Iowa State University
Plant breeders are constantly trying to find the best crosses to increase the traits farmers and consumers want. However, continually crossing the same varieties can decrease the genetic gene pool over time, making plants susceptible to certain pests, diseases, and other stressors. To help understand the depth of the gene pool and to better understand how reliant we are on certain crop varieties, Dr. Stephen Smith and his team attempted to survey which maize varieties are bred and used the most. On this episode, we dive deep to discover what his team turned up.
Tune in to learn:
If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20802
This paper is always freely available.
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If you would like to reach out to Stephen, you
can find him here:
Stephen.Smith@mchsi.com
If you would like to reach out to Yaswant
Kumar Pankaj from our Student Spotlight, you can find him here:
yaswant19994@tamu.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaswant-kumar-pankaj-0535a6b5/
Resources
CIMMYT: https://www.cimmyt.org/
USDA Plant Introduction Research Station: https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/ames/plant-introduction-research/
National Plant Germplasm System: https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/
Crop Trust: https://www.croptrust.org/
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