Plant genomes are so highly diverse that a substantial proportion of genomic sequences are
not shared among individuals. The variable DNA sequences, along with the conserved core …

Crops feed the world's population and shape human civilization. The improvement of crop
productivity has been ongoing for almost 10,000 years and has evolved from an experience …

A better understanding of the extent of convergent selection among crops could greatly
improve breeding programs. We found that the quantitative trait locus KRN2 in maize and its …

We report de novo genome assemblies, transcriptomes, annotations, and methylomes for
the 26 inbreds that serve as the founders for the maize nested association mapping …

Hybrid maize displays superior heterosis and contributes over 30% of total worldwide cereal
production. However, the molecular mechanisms of heterosis remain obscure. Here we …

Background Sequencing technology and assembly algorithms have matured to the point
that high-quality de novo assembly is possible for large, repetitive genomes. Current …

Breeding of crops over millennia for yield and productivity has led to reduced genetic
diversity. As a result, beneficial traits of wild species, such as disease resistance and stress …

Adaptive changes in plant phenology are often considered to be a feature of the so-called
'domestication syndrome'that distinguishes modern crops from their wild progenitors, but …

Genetic mapping studies on crops suggest that agronomic traits can be controlled by gene–
distal intergenic loci. Despite the biological importance and the potential agronomic utility of …

Increased planting densities have boosted maize yields. Upright plant architecture facilitates
dense planting. Here, we cloned UPA1 (Upright Plant Architecture1) and UPA2, two …