By Jordan Strickler
A new international study co-led by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) shows how a single genetic change helps protect corn seeds during storage. This offers plant breeders a clear target for developing varieties that stay vigorous longer and waste fewer seeds.
The research, published in The Plant Cell, focuses on a damaged protein repair enzyme called ZmPIMT1. The study showed how natural changes in the regulatory region of the gene encoding the enzyme — the DNA “on/off” region that controls how much of the enzyme’s RNA, and then protein, is made — affect seed aging tolerance in corn.
The team found that some corn lines carry a version of this region that turns ZmPIMT1 on more strongly, helping seeds better survive the stress of long-term storage and harsh conditions.
Source : uky.edu