Targeted Mutagenesis of the Multicopy Gene Family in Allotetraploid Reduces Pungency in Fresh Leaves across Environments.

Recent breeding efforts in have focused on the development of new oilseed feedstock crop for biofuels (e.g., ethanol, biodiesel, bio-jet fuel), bio-industrial uses (e.

Combining powers of linkage and association mapping for precise dissection of QTL controlling resistance to gray leaf spot disease in maize (Zea mays L.).

Background: Gray Leaf Spot (GLS causal agents Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina) is one of the most important foliar diseases of maize in all areas where the crop is being cultivated. Although in the USA the situation with GLS severity is not as critical as in sub-Saharan Africa or Brazil, the evidence of climate change, increasing corn monoculture as well as the narrow genetic base of North American resistant germplasm can turn the disease into a serious threat to US corn production. The development of GLS resistant cultivars is one way to control the disease.

Natural genetic variation in selected populations of Arabidopsis thaliana is associated with ionomic differences.

Controlling elemental composition is critical for plant growth and development as well as the nutrition of humans who utilize plants for food. Uncovering the genetic architecture underlying mineral ion homeostasis in plants is a critical first step towards understanding the biochemical networks that regulate a plant's elemental composition (ionome). Natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana provide a rich source of genetic diversity that leads to phenotypic differences.