Analysis of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in Winter Wheat and Evaluation of Genetics and Cultural Practices for FHB Mitigation

Analysis of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in Winter Wheat and Evaluation of Genetics and Cultural Practices for FHB Mitigation PDF Author: Zesong Ye
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum is a fungal disease of wheat that can result in severe yield losses and contaminate grain with deoxynivalenol (DON). Wheat cultivars with different levels of FHB resistance were combined with fungicides application to control FHB. Results showed that foliar fungicide ProsaroTM combined with moderately resistant cultivars greatly reduced the risk of FHB. Integrating fungicide application with moderately resistant cultivars can be an effective strategy in controlling FHB. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to FHB related traits were analyzed using a double haploid population. Four QTL associated with FHB resistance was detected on chromosomes 2B, 2D, 4D and 7A. The QTL on chromosome 2B and 4D were found to reduce multiple FHB-related traits and were more frequently detected than QTL on chromosome 2D and 7A. QTL on chromosome 2B and 4D could be valuable for improving FHB resistance in wheat.

Analysis of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in Winter Wheat and Evaluation of Genetics and Cultural Practices for FHB Mitigation

Analysis of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in Winter Wheat and Evaluation of Genetics and Cultural Practices for FHB Mitigation PDF Author: Zesong Ye
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum is a fungal disease of wheat that can result in severe yield losses and contaminate grain with deoxynivalenol (DON). Wheat cultivars with different levels of FHB resistance were combined with fungicides application to control FHB. Results showed that foliar fungicide ProsaroTM combined with moderately resistant cultivars greatly reduced the risk of FHB. Integrating fungicide application with moderately resistant cultivars can be an effective strategy in controlling FHB. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to FHB related traits were analyzed using a double haploid population. Four QTL associated with FHB resistance was detected on chromosomes 2B, 2D, 4D and 7A. The QTL on chromosome 2B and 4D were found to reduce multiple FHB-related traits and were more frequently detected than QTL on chromosome 2D and 7A. QTL on chromosome 2B and 4D could be valuable for improving FHB resistance in wheat.

A Genome Wide Association Study for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Southern Soft Red Winter Wheat

A Genome Wide Association Study for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Southern Soft Red Winter Wheat PDF Author: Amanda Leigh Holder
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fusarium diseases of plants
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a disease of small grains caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. FHB poses potential economic losses and health risks due to the accumulation of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) on infected seed heads. The objectives of this study are: 1) evaluate soft red winter wheat (SRWW) lines for resistance to FHB in terms of resistance to initial inoculum (incidence); resistance to spread within the head (severity); resistance to DON accumulation; and resistance to Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK), 2) determine the frequency and effect of known FHB resistance genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL), and 3) identify novel resistance loci using a genome wide association (GWA) approach. From 2014-2017, 360 SRWW breeding lines were evaluated in inoculated misted FHB nurseries in Fayetteville and Newport, AR and Winnsboro, LA (2017 only) in a randomized complete block design. At all locations, lines were sown in two row plots, inoculated with F. graminearum infected corn (Zea mays L.) and overhead misted throughout the months of April and May to provide optimal conditions for FHB infection. In addition to visual ratings and DON analysis, lines were screened with KASP® markers linked to known FHB resistance genes, including Fhb1. The known resistance QTL, Qfhb.nc-2B.1 (Bess), on chromosome 3B was significantly associated with a reduction in incidence, severity, and DON accumulation. Genome wide SNP markers generated through genotype by sequencing (GBS) were used to perform GWA in order to identify marker-trait associations for FHB resistance. The GWA analysis identified 58 highly significant SNPs associated with the four disease traits. The most highly significant SNP was found on chromosome 4A and the minor allele was found to significantly reduce incidence by 1.17%. Results from this study will facilitate the development of SRWW cultivars with improved resistance to FHB.

Genetic Studies of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in the Winter Wheat Cultivar Ernie

Genetic Studies of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in the Winter Wheat Cultivar Ernie PDF Author: Shuyu Liu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Wheat fusarium culmorum head blight
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called scab, mainly caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [telomorph: Gibberella zeae Schw. (Petch)], is a serious disease that affects wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. and T. durum L.) and barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) in warm, humid areas of the world. Yield losses in the United States during the 1990s were close to $3.0 billion. Genetic resistance is the most effective and economical solution to the yield and quality losses, however, breeding is hindered by a lack of resistance genes. Current genetic studies and breeding programs are focusing on the Chinese cultivar 'Sumai 3' and its derivatives. 'Ernie', a soft red winter wheat cultivar, was released from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station in 1995. It has a high level of FHB resistance, yet the genetics of its resistance are not well understood. This research was designed to study the genetics of FHB resistance in Ernie through both molecular and conventional approaches. A set of 244 F 8 recombinant inbred lines were developed from the cross Ernie/MO 94-317. Four assessments of type II FHB resistance including spread, spread with wilt, the Fusarium head blight index (FHBI), and FHBI with wilt were made. All were highly significantly correlated with coefficients ranging from 0.699** to 0.915**. The number of effective factors for FHB resistance in Ernie was estimated as two for spread and four for FHBI. Five QTLs were identified on five different chromosomes (2B, 3B, 4BL, 5A, and 5DL) which were linked to FHBI and FHBI with wilt. The QTLs with larger effects for FHB resistance were on chromosomes 4BL, 5A, and 5DL and explained 10 to 33% of the phenotypic variation. The QTL on 5A was also associated with disease spread and spread with wilt and explained 10 to 12% of the phenotypic variation. All FHB resistant alleles were from Ernie. Multiple regression indicated that these five QTLs explained 36 to 37% of the phenotypic variation for FHBI and FHBI with wilt, respectively. Significant interactions between markers were included in the model and explained 53.8% and 43.2% of the total variation for these two traits, respectively. Based on the chromosome locations, linked markers, and the magnitude of their effects, the QTLs in Ernie differ from those in Sumai 3. Three QTLs for days to flower were identified on chromosomes 2A, 2DS, and 5B. The major QTL on 2DS explained 61.9% of the phenotypic variation. One QTL was also detected on 5AL for absence of awns. The major QTL on 2DS was common between days to flower and spike length; however, neither was common with QTLs for FHB resistance. Generation mean and variance analyses were done on six generations including the parents, F 1 (Ernie/MO 94-317), BC 1 (F 1 /Ernie), BC 2 (F 1 /MO 94-317), and the F 2 . Additive effects were the major effects for both spread and FHBI. Broad-sense heritability estimates for the F 2 were 78.2% and 78.3% for spread and FHBI, respectively, while the narrow-sense heritabilities were 51.3% and 55.4%, respectively. Because of the additivity of these genetic effects, we concluded that pyramiding the genes from Ernie with those from other sources of resistance should enhance the level of FHB resistance in wheat.

Control of Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat: I. Evaluation of Host Plant Resistance and Fungicides II. Molecular Markers Associated with QTL for Resistance

Control of Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat: I. Evaluation of Host Plant Resistance and Fungicides II. Molecular Markers Associated with QTL for Resistance PDF Author: Nathan H. Karplus
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat has become an increasingly important disease over the past 25 years. Significant grain and quality reductions due to FHB can be observed when there is a favorable environment for disease development. Fusarium graminearum, the primary fungal pathogen that causes FHB in the U.S. produces deoxynivalenol, a mycotoxin that can cause serious health problems for both humans and livestock when consumed in FHB infected grain. While cultural practices and fungicide treatments can suppress FHB, the use of resistant cultivars is also an essential tool for control of FHB. Breeding for resistance to FHB has become a very large part of wheat and barley breeding programs in temperate climates. Various sources of resistance have been used to develop new cultivars that have high levels of resistance. The primary objective of this study was to combine multiple sources of resistance using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from three FHB-resistant University of Illinois breeding lines (IL96-6472, IL97-6755 and IL97-1828) to obtain transgressive segregants that are significantly better than the three parents. The RIL population, consisting of 266 lines, was evaluated for FHB resistance in the greenhouse and in a mist irrigated, inoculated disease nursery. Forty-three simple sequence repeat (SSR) and 250 Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) polymorphic markers were used to create a linkage map using Joinmap 3.0. PlabQTL was used for composite interval mapping and detection of significant QTL. QTL were found for all measured traits except for mean severity in the 2009 greenhouse evaluation. QTL on the short arm of chromosome 3B were identified for all measured traits and accounted for 4.2% to 18.8% of the phenotypic variation, depending on the trait. We believe that these markers are associated with Fhb1 or QTL tightly linked to Fhb1. Minor QTL were also found on chromosomes 7B, 1A, 5D, 6B and 6A and explained a smaller amount of phenotypic variation (between 2.5% and 8.7%). A total of 13 transgressive segregants were found that were significantly better than the mean of the three FHB-resistant parents for more than one trait. These thirteen lines were found to carry many of the resistance alleles associated with the QTL found in the study. Although the population was derived from three FHB-resistant parents, and there were likely QTL that were not detected due to a lack of polymorphism, we believe that multiple genes for resistance were combined in the transgressive segregants observed in the RIL. The second study examined the performance of FHB-resistant and susceptible cultivars with three fungicide treatments. Until recently, there were few fungicides labeled for suppression of FHB. Numerous studies have shown that fungicides containing the active ingredient tebuconazole are very effective in reducing losses caused by FHB. While fungicides can be a useful tool for FHB suppression, they do not provide complete control, and their efficacy is greatly affected by timing. Planting cultivars that are resistant to FHB infection provides farmers with continual protection against the disease. The experiment was grown as a split plot with fungicide treatment (No Fungicide, Prosaro® (tebuconazole+prothioconazole) and Folicur® (tebuconazole) as the main plot and cultivar (6 susceptible and 6 resistant) as the sub-plots. Based on the results of this experiment, it is apparent that resistant cultivars are a necessity to provide the best control of FHB. Under the extremely heavy disease pressure of our FHB nursery, fungicides did not provide sufficient control of FHB on susceptible cultivars. Not surprisingly, we found the best method for controlling FHB is to plant a resistant cultivar in addition to applying a fungicide; however, we were interested to see how resistant cultivars alone would perform when compared to susceptible cultivars treated with a fungicide. Resistant cultivars performed impressively, and it was apparent that resistant cultivars are an essential first step of an effective program for controlling FHB. Resistant cultivars without fungicides were able to yield well and provide excellent net economic returns that were not significantly different than resistant cultivars that were treated with a fungicide. This would suggest that under low to moderate disease pressure there no need for fungicide application for FHB control. This experiment illustrated that resistant cultivars provide sufficient protection from FHB; however, to achieve high quality grain with low levels of FDK and DON, fungicide application may be needed in years when there is a high risk of severe disease pressure.

Genome-Wide Association Studies Combined with Genomic Selection as a Tool to Increase Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat and Its Wild Relatives

Genome-Wide Association Studies Combined with Genomic Selection as a Tool to Increase Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat and Its Wild Relatives PDF Author: Sampurna Bartaula
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) disease worldwide. Presently, there is insufficient FHB resistance in the Canadian wheat germplasm. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS) can be utilized to identify sources of resistance that could benefit wheat breeding. To define the genetic architecture of FHB resistance, association panels from a spring and a winter collection were evaluated using the Wheat Illumina Infinium 90K array. A total of 206 accessions from the spring panel and 73 from the winter panel were evaluated in field trials for 3-4 years at two locations, namely Morden (Manitoba) and Ottawa (Ontario). These accessions were phenotyped for FHB incidence (INC), severity (SEV), visual rating index (VRI), and deoxynivalenol (DON) content. Significant (p

Evaluation and Characterization of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in Winter Wheat

Evaluation and Characterization of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in Winter Wheat PDF Author: Jessica S. Engle
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat and Barley

Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat and Barley PDF Author: Kurt J. Leonard
Publisher: American Phytopathological Society
ISBN:
Category : Barley
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
The book provides a comprehensive record of current knowledge on the nature of Fusarium head blight, the damage it causes, and current research on how to control it. The book begins with a historical account of Fusarium head blight epidemics that gives context to recent attempts to control epidemics in wheat and barley. A review of pathogen taxonomy and population biology helps scientists to see relationships among head blight pathogens and other Fusarium species. The information on epidemiology included in this review also provides an understanding of the weather conditions and cultural practices that promote explosive epidemics. New information on infection processes will lead the reader to a better understanding of how to breed for resistance in wheat and barley.

Genetic Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Conditioning Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Hard Winter Wheat

Genetic Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Conditioning Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Hard Winter Wheat PDF Author: Umara Sahar Rana
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as 'scab', incited by Fusarium graminearum (Schw), is one of the most damaging fungal diseases in wheat. FHB reduces grain yield drastically, but also grain quality due to shriveled kernels, protein damage, and mycotoxin contamination caused by the fungal infection. Host plant resistance is the most effective and environmentally safe approach to combat this disease. To identify resistance genes from locally adapted cultivars, a population of 178 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from Overland × Everest was genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). The RIL population was phenotyped for resistance to the initial infection (type I), fungal spread within a spike (type II), mycotoxin (DON) accumulation in grains (type III) and Fusarium damaged kernel (type IV) in repeated greenhouse and field experiments. Seven QTLs were identified on chromosome arms 1AL, 3BL, 4BS, 4BL, 6AL, 6BL 7AS and 7BL for type I resistance. Hard winter wheat cultivar Everest contributes all the resistance alleles except two on chromosome arms 4BS and 6BL, which are contributed by hard winter wheat cultivar Overland. Six QTLs on chromosome regions of 1BL, 4A, 4BS, 5AL, 6BL and 7AS confer type II resistance with the resistance QTLs on 1BL, 4BS, 6BL and 7AS from Everest and on 4A, 4BS, and 5AL from Overland. The type II QTL on chromosome 4BS is overlapped with the reduced height gene Rht-B1. QTLs for type III resistance were mapped on 4BS and 5AL while QTLs for type IV resistance were mapped on chromosome 4BS, 5AL and 7AS and they overlapped with type II resistance in the corresponding chromosome regions. The haplotype analysis showed that genotypes containing multiple QTLs showed significantly higher resistance than those with fewer or no QTLs, indicating that these QTLs have additive effects on FHB resistance. Type I FHB resistance was poorly characterized in the literature. The current study demonstrated that Everest carries several QTLs for type I resistance, thus is a useful native source for type I resistance. Some SNP markers tightly linked with the QTLs for different types of resistance were successfully converted into Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) assays and could be used in marker-assisted breeding for FHB resistance in wheat.

Genetic Mapping of QTL for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Winter Wheat Cultivars Art and Everest

Genetic Mapping of QTL for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Winter Wheat Cultivars Art and Everest PDF Author: Marshall Clinesmith
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease, mostly commonly associated with F. graminearum, which affects cereal crops such as wheat resulting in substantial yield losses and reductions in grain quality. The onset of the disease can occur rapidly when warm, wet or humid weather coincides with flowering in the spring. The pathogen also produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) that accumulate in the grain and can be toxic to humans and animals. This results in additional economic losses as contaminated grain must be discarded or blended to reduce the amount of toxin in order to meet federal regulatory limits. Development and deployment of resistant cultivars has proved to be an effective method to combat the disease, and many resistant sources have been reported in the literature with the majority of major resistance coming from Chinese landraces. Transferring resistance from these sources into cultivars adapted to the U.S. has been a slow process due to linkage of FHB resistance genes with poor agronomic traits. Therefore, it is important for breeders to search for sources of resistance in native material adapted to their local conditions. In this study, we aimed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to spread of FHB within the head (Type II resistance), accumulation of DON toxin in grain (Type III resistance), and resistance to kernel infection (Type IV resistance). Plant material consisted of 148 doubled haploid (DH) lines from a cross between the two moderately resistant hard red winter wheat (HRWW) cultivars Art and Everest. The study was conducted for two years using a point inoculation technique in a greenhouse in Manhattan, KS. Three QTL conferring resistance to FHB traits were detected on chromosomes 2D, 4B, and 4D. The QTL on chromosomes 4B and 4D overlapped with the major height genes Rht1 and Rht2, respectively. Plant height has shown previous associations with FHB, though the underlying cause of these associations is not well understood. The majority of results have reported increased susceptibility associated with shorter plant types; however, in this study, the haplotype analysis for the Rht-B1 and Rht-D1 loci showed an association between the dwarfing alleles and increased resistance to FHB. This suggests either pleiotropic effects of these loci or perhaps linkage with nearby genes for FHB resistance. Markers close to the peaks of the FHB resistance QTL have the potential for Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) marker development and subsequent use in marker assisted selection (MAS) to help improve overall FHB resistance within breeding programs.

Quantitative Genetics in Maize Breeding

Quantitative Genetics in Maize Breeding PDF Author: Arnel R. Hallauer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441907661
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 669

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Book Description
Maize is used in an endless list of products that are directly or indirectly related to human nutrition and food security. Maize is grown in producer farms, farmers depend on genetically improved cultivars, and maize breeders develop improved maize cultivars for farmers. Nikolai I. Vavilov defined plant breeding as plant evolution directed by man. Among crops, maize is one of the most successful examples for breeder-directed evolution. Maize is a cross-pollinated species with unique and separate male and female organs allowing techniques from both self and cross-pollinated crops to be utilized. As a consequence, a diverse set of breeding methods can be utilized for the development of various maize cultivar types for all economic conditions (e.g., improved populations, inbred lines, and their hybrids for different types of markets). Maize breeding is the science of maize cultivar development. Public investment in maize breeding from 1865 to 1996 was $3 billion (Crosbie et al., 2004) and the return on investment was $260 billion as a consequence of applied maize breeding, even without full understanding of the genetic basis of heterosis. The principles of quantitative genetics have been successfully applied by maize breeders worldwide to adapt and improve germplasm sources of cultivars for very simple traits (e.g. maize flowering) and very complex ones (e.g., grain yield). For instance, genomic efforts have isolated early-maturing genes and QTL for potential MAS but very simple and low cost phenotypic efforts have caused significant and fast genetic progress across genotypes moving elite tropical and late temperate maize northward with minimal investment. Quantitative genetics has allowed the integration of pre-breeding with cultivar development by characterizing populations genetically, adapting them to places never thought of (e.g., tropical to short-seasons), improving them by all sorts of intra- and inter-population recurrent selection methods, extracting lines with more probability of success, and exploiting inbreeding and heterosis. Quantitative genetics in maize breeding has improved the odds of developing outstanding maize cultivars from genetically broad based improved populations such as B73. The inbred-hybrid concept in maize was a public sector invention 100 years ago and it is still considered one of the greatest achievements in plant breeding. Maize hybrids grown by farmers today are still produced following this methodology and there is still no limit to genetic improvement when most genes are targeted in the breeding process. Heterotic effects are unique for each hybrid and exotic genetic materials (e.g., tropical, early maturing) carry useful alleles for complex traits not present in the B73 genome just sequenced while increasing the genetic diversity of U.S. hybrids. Breeding programs based on classical quantitative genetics and selection methods will be the basis for proving theoretical approaches on breeding plans based on molecular markers. Mating designs still offer large sample sizes when compared to QTL approaches and there is still a need to successful integration of these methods. There is a need to increase the genetic diversity of maize hybrids available in the market (e.g., there is a need to increase the number of early maturing testers in the northern U.S.). Public programs can still develop new and genetically diverse products not available in industry. However, public U.S. maize breeding programs have either been discontinued or are eroding because of decreasing state and federal funding toward basic science. Future significant genetic gains in maize are dependent on the incorporation of useful and unique genetic diversity not available in industry (e.g., NDSU EarlyGEM lines). The integration of pre-breeding methods with cultivar development should enhance future breeding efforts to maintain active public breeding programs not only adapting and improving genetically broad-based germplasm but also developing unique products and training the next generation of maize breeders producing research dissertations directly linked to breeding programs. This is especially important in areas where commercial hybrids are not locally bred. More than ever public and private institutions are encouraged to cooperate in order to share breeding rights, research goals, winter nurseries, managed stress environments, and latest technology for the benefit of producing the best possible hybrids for farmers with the least cost. We have the opportunity to link both classical and modern technology for the benefit of breeding in close cooperation with industry without the need for investing in academic labs and time (e.g., industry labs take a week vs months/years in academic labs for the same work). This volume, as part of the Handbook of Plant Breeding series, aims to increase awareness of the relative value and impact of maize breeding for food, feed, and fuel security. Without breeding programs continuously developing improved germplasm, no technology can develop improved cultivars. Quantitative Genetics in Maize Breeding presents principles and data that can be applied to maximize genetic improvement of germplasm and develop superior genotypes in different crops. The topics included should be of interest of graduate students and breeders conducting research not only on breeding and selection methods but also developing pure lines and hybrid cultivars in crop species. This volume is a unique and permanent contribution to breeders, geneticists, students, policy makers, and land-grant institutions still promoting quality research in applied plant breeding as opposed to promoting grant monies and indirect costs at any short-term cost. The book is dedicated to those who envision the development of the next generation of cultivars with less need of water and inputs, with better nutrition; and with higher percentages of exotic germplasm as well as those that pursue independent research goals before searching for funding. Scientists are encouraged to use all possible breeding methodologies available (e.g., transgenics, classical breeding, MAS, and all possible combinations could be used with specific sound long and short-term goals on mind) once germplasm is chosen making wise decisions with proven and scientifically sound technologies for assisting current breeding efforts depending on the particular trait under selection. Arnel R. Hallauer is C. F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture (Emeritus) at Iowa State University (ISU). Dr. Hallauer has led maize-breeding research for mid-season maturity at ISU since 1958. His work has had a worldwide impact on plant-breeding programs, industry, and students and was named a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Hallauer is a native of Kansas, USA. José B. Miranda Filho is full-professor in the Department of Genetics, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz - University of São Paulo located at Piracicaba, Brazil. His research interests have emphasized development of quantitative genetic theory and its application to maize breeding. Miranda Filho is native of Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil. M.J. Carena is professor of plant sciences at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Dr. Carena has led maize-breeding research for short-season maturity at NDSU since 1999. This program is currently one the of the few public U.S. programs left integrating pre-breeding with cultivar development and training in applied maize breeding. He teaches Quantitative Genetics and Crop Breeding Techniques at NDSU. Carena is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/plantsci/faculty/Carena.htm