Genome-Wide Association Study Identified Novel SNPs Associated with Chlorophyll Content in Maize.

Chlorophyll is an essential component that captures light energy to drive photosynthesis. Chlorophyll content can affect photosynthetic activity and thus yield. Therefore, mining candidate genes of chlorophyll content will help increase maize production.

Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic basis of brace root angle and diameter in maize.

Brace roots are the main organ to support the above-ground part of maize plant. It involves in plant growth and development by water absorption and lodging resistance. The bracing root angle (BRA) and diameter (BRD) are important components of brace root traits.

Epigenetic modifications potentially controlling the allelic expression of imprinted genes in sunflower endosperm.

Background: Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon mainly occurs in endosperm of flowering plants. Genome-wide identification of imprinted genes have been completed in several dicot Cruciferous plant and monocot crops.

Results: Here, we analyzed global patterns of allelic gene expression in developing endosperm of sunflower which belongs to the composite family.

Genetic analysis of maize shank length by QTL mapping in three recombinant inbred line populations.

In maize, the shank is a unique tissue linking the stem to the ear. Shank length (SL) mainly affects the transport of photosynthetic products to the ear and the dehydration of kernels via regulated husk morphology. The limited studies on SL revealed it is a highly heritable quantitative trait controlled by significant additive and additive-dominance effects.