United Press International
05-10-06
Scientists study the hybrid vigor mystery
AMES, Iowa: Iowa scientists say they have taken a step toward understanding
the complex and, so far, mysterious molecular mechanisms that produce hybrid
vigor.
For nearly 80 years, corn breeders and producers have taken advantage of
hybrid vigor to grow high-yielding crops. Yet the biological process remains a
scientific mystery. Nobody understands why crossing specific lines of corn that
are genetically different can produce a hybrid that outperforms both parent lines.
Now researchers in Iowa State University's Plant Sciences Institute say they
have gained a better understanding of hybrid vigor, also known as heterosis,
which affects most aspects of plant growth and development. And once the gene
activity behind hybrid vigor is well understood, scientists believe they could
rapidly create hybrids that confer desired traits, such as ethanol production into
the germplasm.
The research appeared in the May 2 issue of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science.