Navigation Links
Key discovered to cold tolerance in corn
Date:8/29/2008

Demand for corn -- the world's number one feed grain and a staple food for many -- is outstripping supply, resulting in large price increases that are forecast to continue over the next several years. If corn's intolerance of low temperatures could be overcome, then the length of the growing season, and yield, could be increased at present sites of cultivation and its range extended into colder regions.

Drs. Dafu Wang, Archie Portis, Steve Moose, and Steve Long in the Department of Crop Sciences and the Institute of Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois may have made a breakthrough on this front, as reported in the September issue of the journal Plant Physiology.

Plants can be divided into two groups based on their strategy for harvesting light energy: C4 and C3. The C4 groups include many of the most agriculturally productive plants known, such as corn, sorghum, and sugar cane. All other major crops, including wheat and rice, are C3. C4 plants differ from C3 by the addition of four extra chemical steps, making these plants more efficient in converting sunlight energy into plant matter.

Until recently, the higher productivity achieved by C4 species was thought to be possible only in warm environments. So while wheat, a C3 plant, may be grown into northern Sweden and Alberta, the C4 grain corn cannot. Even within the Corn Belt and despite record yields, corn cannot be planted much before early May and as such is unable to utilize the high sunlight of spring.

Recently a wild C4 grass related to corn, Miscanthus x giganteus, has been found to be exceptionally productive in cold climates. The Illinois researchers set about trying to discover the basis of this difference, focusing on the four extra chemical reactions that separate C4 from C3 plants.

Each of these reactions is catalyzed by a protein or enzyme. The enzyme for one of these steps, Pyruvate Phosphate Dikinase, or PPDK for shor
'/>"/>

Contact: Steve Long
slong@uiuc.edu
217-766-6570
American Society of Plant Biologists
Source:Eurekalert

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Unexpected large monkey population discovered
2. Newly discovered molecular switch helps decide cell type in early embryo development
3. Newly discovered monkey is threatened with extinction
4. Circadian rhythm-metabolism link discovered
5. Leatherback turtles newly discovered migration route may be roadmap to salvation
6. Surprisingly rapid changes in the Earths core discovered
7. Death, division or cancer? Newly discovered checkpoint process holds the line in cell division
8. New source of heart stem cells discovered
9. Wealth of genomic hotspots discovered in embryonic stem cells
10. Potential therapy discovered for hypophosphatasia, a congenital form of rickets
11. New family of gecko discovered by researchers from the U of Minnesota and Villanova University
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/30/2009)...We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive f... studies have shown that the specific kind of dail... lives appears to influence the extent of this dec...sitt Berlin are studying how division of labour am...as they age. Surprisingly, they have found that, b...
(Date:6/30/2009)...SHINGTON, DC The misleading "health" halo surroun...ng sweetener reformulations is starting to dim. ,...ds that they will remove high fructose corn syrup ...on in news articles by several experts and respect...n companies, marketing efforts and put forth scien...
(Date:6/30/2009)...geons could be art critics yet, according to a new...n be trained to tell the difference between ,good,...ru Watanabe from Keio University in Japan, pigeons...tings, beauty as defined by humans, as well as the...en published online in Springer,s journal, Animal...
(Date:6/30/2009)...Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University...n mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involvin...ons in the brain are blocked, alcohol,s effects on... discovery that could lead to new therapies for ad...ts will be published in the renowned American scie...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):A young brain for an old bee 2Recent news reports of sweetener reformulations raise questions about motivations 2A bird's eye view of art 2Discovery may provide new treatments for alcohol dependence 2NJIT to host major biomedical engineering showcase and career fair 7144 1NJIT to host major biomedical engineering showcase and career fair 7144 2Divided We Fail Pushes to Keep Health Care Reform as a Top Priority for Congress and the New Administration 37092 1Divided We Fail Pushes to Keep Health Care Reform as a Top Priority for Congress and the New Administration 37092 2Divided We Fail Pushes to Keep Health Care Reform as a Top Priority for Congress and the New Administration 37092 3Amicus Therapeutics Announces Change to Board of Directors 10542 1Working With Robots May Help After a Stroke 37090 1Working With Robots May Help After a Stroke 37090 2
...rst time, scientists have documented an organ-spec...in the April 18 edition of the journal Immunity, s...go (UCSD) School of Medicine outline the unique me...ategies against microbial invasion. , "This innate...probably designed to minimize collateral damage to...
...tists at Case Western Reserve University School of...art of the brain that processes our sense of smell... of a group of previously unstudied brain cells de...ounced blon ?es) in the late 1800s. Blanes cells ...aintain memories of smells and also opens a new ap...
...nducted by investigators at Georgia State Universi...roscience (CBN) reports that anatomical and functi...erences in the experience of pain and in the effec...rted in the April 13 issue of the Journal of Compa...differences in the parts of the brain responsible ...
...ave a look at the videos: 1 & 2 , Chemis...technique providing a real-time, molecule-by-molec...heir direct observation of fluorescently tagged mo...-time footage of the birth of individual new prote...s, precision in probing genetic activity. , Using ...
Other Biology News:Researchers reveal lung's unique innate immune system 2Neuroscientists discover new cell type that may help brain maintain memories of smells 2Neuroscientists discover new cell type that may help brain maintain memories of smells 3Brain differences could explain why males and females experience pain relief differently 2Molecule by molecule, new assay shows real-time gene activity 2Molecule by molecule, new assay shows real-time gene activity 3
(Date:7/2/2009)...irstCall/ -- Lixte Biotechnology Holdings (OTC Bul...ors of the National Institute of Neurological Diso...nstitute (NCI), National Institutes of Health and ...hances the effectiveness of two standard chemother...esearch is being conducted under a Cooperative Res...
(Date:7/1/2009)... WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc.,(NYSE: WX ) anno...F for,excellent service and outstanding contribut...-protection active ingredients. , (Logo: h...LOGO ) , "We had been looking for a good C...hink we have found one, a top-notch partner," Dr. ...
(Date:7/1/2009)...in Air Force History Appointed to Highest Noncommi... 1 MicroTech announce...Air Force (CMSAF) Rod McKinley has joined the comp...tnerships. MicroTech is one of the fastest growin...n the U.S. In his new role, McKinley will provide ...
(Date:7/1/2009)...- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: NBS ) announced toda...r $4 million from institutional and private invest...ivate placement from three Asia-based investors an... obtained by NeoStem in the past two and half mont...f Suzhou Erye Pharmaceuticals Company, Ltd. have i...
Breaking Biology Technology:Lixte Biotechnology Holdings' Lead Compound, LB-1.2, Enhances the Effectiveness of Standard Cancer Chemotherapy in Animal Models 2Lixte Biotechnology Holdings' Lead Compound, LB-1.2, Enhances the Effectiveness of Standard Cancer Chemotherapy in Animal Models 3WuXi PharmaTech Receives Award from BASF 2Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Rod McKinley (U.S. Air Force Retired) Joins MicroTech as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships 2Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Rod McKinley (U.S. Air Force Retired) Joins MicroTech as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships 3NeoStem Raises Additional Funds from Principals of Suzhou Erye Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd. and U.S. Institutional and Private Investors, Bringing the Total Recent Financings to Over $15 Million; Funds Will Support Expansion Activities in the United State 2NeoStem Raises Additional Funds from Principals of Suzhou Erye Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd. and U.S. Institutional and Private Investors, Bringing the Total Recent Financings to Over $15 Million; Funds Will Support Expansion Activities in the United State 3
... Governor Jim Doyle today announced that three Wis...ogy development projects from the Department of Co...ogy Venture Fund (TVF) Programs. The three compani...ogies, Inc., and Bell Brook Labs, LLC, Meanwhile ...e Care,s proposed merger. , ,Original air date: Sa...
... Howard Anderson, who teaches courses on early-sta...hnology, founded or co-founded three venture capit...i. Now, hes hanging up his sword, declining to rai...ture money pursuing too few deals. Theres nowhere ...weve raised, Anderson wrote in Technology Review l...
... Madison,Wis. - Esker Software , based in Lyon...Madison, received a U.S. patent for the technology... for enabling content-based document delivery. , ,... data from electronic documents to determine forma...y previously-built rules. It is already in place ...
... A few weeks back, I suggested that the role of ...es and the business. I have this picture in my hea...xotic locales (like the board room) and different ...ituations that could boil over into real conflict ...e, patience and a great deal of flexibility is the...
Other Biology Technology:Is venture capital dead? No, but its beginning a new cycle 2Is venture capital dead? No, but its beginning a new cycle 3IT is the New Foreign Service 2IT is the New Foreign Service 3
Acetylcholinesterase (human brain, AChE)
...eets the demands of the routine trace metal analyt...le, robust and simple to use instrumentation. The ...t challenging sample matrices found in the environ...est analytical challenges found in the clinical, f...
C1-inhibitor (C1-INH)
Polio component type I
Biology Products: