Gene, enzyme and physiological characterization of maize shrunken-2 and brittle-2 alleles

作物产量即使不是衡量美国农业生产率的最重要指标，也是最重要的指标之一。密集和令人印象深刻的育种努力以及栽培实践的改进为该国和世界其他地区重要作物大幅增产的历史奠定了基础。为了帮助持续提高产量，已经采取了生化/遗传/分子方法，重点是增加种子的主要成分淀粉的数量。这种方法的重点是如何提高淀粉合成中最慢的一步的速度，即腺苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸酶(AGP)。过去的努力已经产生了酶的变化，这些变化导致了具有全球重要性的作物的增产。这笔赠款申请的资金将用于隔离额外的变化，这些变化应该会带来更大的植物产量增长。这些变化将被应用到玉米中，由此导致的产量增加将得到衡量。该计划的目标还包括公众关于转基因食品的教育活动。具体地说，这些包括公开讲座，与佛罗里达州一所特定高中的互动，以及与这个校园里的本科生的互动。在这个国家，提高植物产量很重要，因为人口在增加，而可用于种植农业的土地却在减少。在世界范围内，提高植物产量对目前没有足够食物的人来说至关重要。将要开展的工作应该产生真正的工具，以缓解目前和未来的粮食短缺。它还应该缓解公众对转基因食品的一些担忧。

Crop yield is one of the most if not the most important measurement of the productivity of US agriculture. Intensive and impressive breeding efforts and improvements in cultural practices have laid the cornerstone for a history of dramatic yield increases in crops of major importance in this country as well as the rest of the world. To aid in continued yield increases, a biochemical/genetic/molecular approach has been taken that focuses on increasing the amount of the major component of the seed, starch. This approach focuses on ways to increase the speed of the slowest step in the synthesis of starch, the enzyme adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP). Past efforts have produced changes in the enzyme that gave rise to increased yield in crops of worldwide importance. Funds from this grant application will be used to isolate additional changes that should produce even greater increases in plant yield. These changes will be placed into corn and resulting increases in yield will be measured. Goals of this program also include educational activities of the public concerning genetically modified foods. Specifically, these involve public lectures, interactions with a particular high school in Florida as well as interactions with undergraduate students on this campus. Enhanced plant yield is important in this country since the number of people is increasing while the amount of land available for plant agriculture is decreasing. Worldwide, enhanced plant yield is critical for people presently not having enough food. The work to be performed should produce real tools for alleviating this present and future food shortage. It should also alleviate some of the concerns of the general public concerning GMO foods.