Public Seed Banks Speed Corn Quality Research

By Andi Anderson

Corn breeding is no longer focused only on increasing yield. Today, quality traits such as protein, oil, starch, and other kernel components play an important role in profitability. These traits support uses like food processing, animal feed, industrial products, and emerging biotechnology markets.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign have shown that public seed banks can help speed up corn quality research. Instead of starting with years of large field trials, scientists can first study genetic material already stored in public gene banks. These collections hold thousands of corn varieties that are freely available to researchers.

The study examined nearly 1,000 maize inbred lines from a USDA seed bank in Iowa. Because seed bank samples are often limited to small packets of seeds, the research used unreplicated samples, which is usually considered a challenge. To overcome this, researchers applied modern tools such as near infrared spectroscopy, genomic data analysis, and advanced computer models.

The results were then compared with large replicated field studies conducted by other research teams. The strong agreement between the studies confirmed that even small seed samples can provide reliable genetic information. This showed that meaningful research can begin without long and costly field experiments.

The analysis identified genetic regions linked to important kernel traits. Many of these regions matched genes already known to influence corn composition, confirming the accuracy of the methods. The study also discovered new genetic regions that may help breeders improve corn quality in the future.

Researchers explained that starting with seed bank data allows breeding programs to focus on the most promising material early. This approach saves time, reduces costs, and improves efficiency. Once valuable traits are identified, breeders can then move forward with targeted field trials and further testing.

The findings highlight the value of public seed banks, shared data, and modern technology in crop improvement. By using these resources together, researchers can accelerate progress in corn breeding, support nutrition and processing quality, and respond faster to changing market needs.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-dszc