Mineral Nutrient Gene Discovery and Gene X Environment Interactions Using the Nested Association Mapping Population in Maize

PI: Ivan Baxter （USDA-ARS & &amp； Donald Danforth植物科学中心），CoPIs: Paul Anderson （Donald Danforth植物科学中心），Owen Hoekenga （USDA-ARS & &amp； Boyce Thompson研究所），Chad Myers（明尼苏达大学），Mourad Ouzzani（普渡大学），Margaret Smith（康奈尔大学）和Terry Woodford-Thomas （Donald Danforth植物科学中心）玉米是地球上最广泛适应和采用的作物。这主要是由于高度的遗传和表型多样性，可用于适应当地条件。虽然在了解开花时间等适应的某些方面取得了进展，但在对土壤条件的适应方面进展甚微。鉴于植物-土壤相互作用关系到农业效率、可持续性和生产力的重要性，这是具有讽刺意味的。该项目将利用种质资源和其他国家科学基金会支持的项目所产生的发现来研究决定玉米籽粒元素组成的遗传和环境因素（许多元素以离子形式存在，因此有离子）。这些先前的努力，加上最近在离子体研究方面的创新，将使我们能够迅速剖析决定宏量营养素、微量营养素和金属污染物组成的基因和环境条件。这将产生一些假设，这些假设可以通过在美国和非洲进行评估的实验品种进行检验。这些信息将导致开发新的玉米品种，这些品种更适应低肥力土壤，含有更高水平的必需宏量或微量营养素（“生物强化”），或降低金属污染物的水平。该项目将为青年科学家、有抱负的科学家、教师和国际科学家提供培训机会。将在圣路易斯、圣保罗和伊萨卡资助学生和教师实习，同时将开发教育资源，帮助高中教师将生物信息学和植物分子生物学纳入课程。参与者还将通过eScience（一个利用技术将学生和科学家联系起来的项目）指导高中生学习科学。通过与CIMMYT参与生物强化的育种人员和加纳大学提供的玉米育种讲习班的参与者的直接联系，信息将与国际科学界共享。通过该项目生成的数据将通过http://www.ionomicshub.org/、http://www.panzea.org和http://www.maizegdb.org提供。

PI: Ivan Baxter (USDA-ARS & Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)CoPIs: Paul Anderson (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center), Owen Hoekenga (USDA-ARS & Boyce Thompson Institute), Chad Myers (University of Minnesota), Mourad Ouzzani (Purdue University), Margaret Smith (Cornell University) and Terry Woodford-Thomas (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)Maize is the most widely adapted and adopted crop on the planet. This is largely due to the high degree of genetic and phenotypic diversity that can be harnessed into adaptation for local conditions. While progress has been made in understanding some aspects of adaptation such as flowering time, little progress has been made with respect to adaptation to soil conditions. This is ironic given the importance of plant-soil interactions as they relate to agricultural efficiency, sustainability and productivity. This project will leverage germplasm resources and discoveries generated by other NSF supported programs to examine the genetic and environmental factors that determine the elemental composition (many elements exist as ions, hence, the IONome) of maize grain. These previous efforts, together with recent innovations in the study of the ionome, will allow the rapid dissection of the genes and environmental conditions that determine the macronutrient, micronutrient and metal contaminant composition. This will create hypotheses that can be tested using experimental varieties evaluated across the United States and in Africa. This information will lead to the development of new maize varieties that are better adapted to low fertility soils, contain higher levels of essential macro- or micronutrients ("biofortification"), or decrease levels of metal contaminants.The project will support training opportunities for young scientists, aspiring scientists, teachers and international scientists. Student and teacher internships will be sponsored in St. Louis, St. Paul and Ithaca, while educational resources will be developed to assist high school teachers in incorporating bioinformatics and plant molecular biology into their curricula. Participants will also mentor high school students in science through eScience, a program utilizing technology to link students and scientists. Information will be shared with international sciences through direct connections with breeders at CIMMYT involved in biofortification and participants in maize breeding workshops offered at the University of Ghana. Data generated through this project will be available through http://www.ionomicshub.org/, http://www.panzea.org, and http://www.maizegdb.org.