Maize Genetics and Breeding

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Projects

Projects of the Maize Genetics and Breeding group in force in 2017



Genetic study of senescence and its relations with the efficient use of nitrogen and water in the maize crop.

Participants: MBG, University of Vigo.

Principal Investigator: B Ordás, MBG.

Funding body: Xunta de Galicia (IN607D 2016/002).

Financing: € 65,000. Period 2016 – 2018.

Objectives:

  1. Study of the genetic correlation between the uptake and distribution of N in the plant and the beginning and rate of leaf senescence in a representative sample of maize inbred lines in the temperate zone under optimum N and water stress.
  2. Identification of QTLs related to foliar senescence and to the uptake and distribution of N with fine mapping and sampling of a high number of alleles under optimum N and water stress.
  3. Study of the individual and simultaneous effect of the amount of N available in the soil and the amount of water at the beginning and rate of senescence at the phenotypic and genetic level in the gene expression of a series of genes related to senescence.

Composition of the cell wall of maize. Function and balance between resistance to stress (biotic and abiotic), animal digestibility and bioenergy production.

Participants: University of Vigo, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Center (Canada).

Principal Investigator: R Santiago, UVIGO.

Funding body: Xunta de Galicia (ED431F 2016/014).

Financing: € 90,000. Period 2016 – 2019.

Objectives:

  1. To study the role of the phenolic compounds of the cell wall in the resistance to corn borer, grain yield, digestibility and ethanolic production.
  2. To study the role of the components of the cell wall in the tolerance to drought.
  3. To evaluate the performance of materials with potential effects in sugar maize in ethanol production and resistance to biotic stresses.

Breeding for resistance to biotic stresses and mechanisms of defense involved.

Participants: Misión Biológica de Galicia, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Center (Canada), USDA-ARS (USA).

Coordinator: RA Malvar and AM Butrón.

Principal Investigator subproject1: RA Malvar and AM Butrón.

Principal investigator subproject 2: R Santiago.

Funding body: Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO (AGL2015-67313-C2).

Financing: SP1 157,300 € and SP2 103,000 €

Period 2016 – 2018.

Objectives:

  1. Development of breeding programs to obtain new resistant varieties.
  2. Search for genomic regions and genes associated with resistance.
  3. Study of defense mechanisms of defense and response of plants to biotic factors of stress.

Genetic improvement of sustainability and added value in maize.

Principal Investigator: Revilla and B Ordás, MBG.

Funding body: Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO (AGL2016-77628-R).

Financing: € 254,100 + pre-doctoral contract FPI.

Start date: 12/30/2016.

End date: 12/29/2019.

Objectives:

  1. To improve maize resilience for producing special types of maize with high added value; for doing so, we will widen the genetic base of our breeding programs.
  2. Investigate the improvement of maize for tolerance to major stresses (cold and drought).
  3. Develop maize types with high added value (biomass for bioethanol and forage, sweetcorn, flour and popcorn).

Maize germplasm bank of the Misión Biológica de Galicia.

Principal Investigator: A Ordás, MBG.

Funding body: National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA (RFP2013-00010-00-00).

Financing: € 45,000.

Start date: 12/23/2014.

End date: 03/31/2017.

Objectives: The overall objective of the project is to maintain the MBG maize germplasm collection in good condition. This general objective is articulated in three partial objectives:

  1. Long term conservation of the collection.
  2. Medium term conservation of the collection.
  3. Checking the purity of inbred lines.