Germplasm Enhancement for Adaptation to
Climate Changes
Marcelo J. Carena, Professor & Corn Breeder
NDSU Corn Breeding and Genetics
North Dakota State University
Aug 3 2011 Brasil
Maize Early Generation Hybrid Lattice Trials Ready for Harvest
on NDSU Fargo Campus (S of 19th Ave N) in North Dakota
Maize Early Generation Hybrid Lattice Trials Ready for Harvest
In Northern North Dakota
Value and Cost of Public Maize
Genetic Improvement (Crosbie and Lamkey, 1999)
Pre-biotech Retrospective Look at
Corn Improvement (1865-1996)
Assuming 2/3 of Actual Gains Due to
Genetic Improvement
Macro Analysis of Maize Breeding
Costs and Benefits for USA (1994
Dollars and All Public Programs)
Value and Cost of Public Maize
Genetic Improvement (Crosbie and Lamkey, 1999)
$ 3 Billion Were Invested in 130 Years.
How Much After 1996?
$ 260 Billion Were the Result From
Research on Applied Maize Breeding
Plant Breeding Is Harder Than It
Looks. Need for Unique Training.
But, How Many Applied Breeding Programs Left????
Meaning Integrating Pre-Breeding with CV Development??
Training the Next Breeder Generation with CV Development?
CREATORS OF THE HYBRID MAIZE IDEA
Cold Spring Harbor Lab, Long Island
CONNECTICUT, NEW HAVEN AES
(1904-1916)
(1905 - 1920)
MN & ND
Public Creativity + Industry Vision = Business
We Have Worked with the Same Method for > 100 Yeas BUT
Breeding Programs often do not Take Advantage of Marginal Environmental Conditions
2300
1900
1500
1100
700
300
19
96
19
98
20
00
20
02
20
04
20
06
20
08
20
10
Acreage (000)
Annual Planted Acreage and
Productivity of North Dakota Maize
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
Production Challenges/Opportunities in ‘the North’
Period Between Killing Frosts
Effective Heat Supply
Rainfall?
NORTH DAKOTA FARMERS
Production Challenges/Opportunities in ‘the North’
Period Between Killing Frosts
Effective Heat Supply
Rainfall
YIELD IS AS IMPORTANT AS OTHER TRAITS.
BREEDERS VS. PRODUCER/EXTENSION MIND SET
While Weather can be a Disadvantage for Production (e.g., 2009),
It can be a Breeding Advantage to Screen and Discard Unstable,
Weak Maize Varieties in LOCALLY Run Breeding Programs.
Breeding for Adaptation is Best Done under Target Challenging but
Uniform Environmental Challenges where Strengths/Weaknesses
are Quickly Identified and Most Stable Genotypes Succeed.
US Northern Maize Production/Breeding Concerns
Billions of Dollars are being Lost to Drying Grain, Drought and Cold
Susceptible Maize, and to Processing Low Quality Grain in the
Northern U.S. Market.
Adaptation is Everything. Still Most Northern U.S. Hybrids are not
Locally Bred. Lines/Hybrids are Provided by Retailer Companies
Licensing Products from Foundation Seed Companies Centered in
Southern Minnesota (MN).
Hybrids are Often Late Maturing Products with Below Average
Grain Quality, Drought and Cold Tolerance, and Rate of Dry Down.
Hybrids are neither Reliable nor Stable for the Northern USA. Too
Many Production Failures since there are no Breeding Programs
Locally Developing Products (Industry not actively Present).
US Northern Maize Production/Breeding Concerns
Hybrids Offered by Retailer Companies have Similar Genetics.
Few Hybrids, More Traits, Makes Maize Vulnerable
Small Seed Company Quote:
“only three lines were viable in industry for northern corn production in 2009”
Northern Corn Farmer Quotes:
“A 79RM (major company) hybrid failed me in 2008 and 2009, two years in a row
(poor moisture and dry down), and this is their earliest hybrid, while the seed
price keeps increasing with their trait integration business.”
“I want to grow a 72RM corn hybrid. I have been searching for this product in the
past 3 years and the earliest product I find is a 79RM hybrid”
The Confidential Nature of the Maize Business Limits Breeding
Rights to Develop BETTER VERSIONS of Industry Inbred Lines.
It Reduces the Breeding Efficiency to Identify the Most Outstanding
Hybrid for Farmers.
NDSU Maize Breeding Program
80 Years of Continuous Maize Breeding Research, Northern Program in
North America Moving Maize North and West. STRATEGICALLY Located
to Develop Products under Extreme Environmental Conditions.
Large Active U.S. Applied Maize Breeding Program Integrating PreBreeding with Cultivar Development (Goals)
Several Locations for Maize Breeding Research Serving All Farmers in
Both Desirable (High Industry Investment) and Marginal (Low Industry
Investment) Environments.
Cooperation with >10 Industry Partners for Technology Access. Breeding
Access to Checks and Testers, Locations, Equipment, Plots, etc.
NDSU has Released 17 Maize Lines, 8 Populations, and 6 Hybrids in the
Past 12 Years. Hundreds of Requests for Earliness, Stress Tolerance,
Unique Genetic Diversity, Dry Down, and Grain Quality. Unique Alleles
not Present in the B73 and/or NAM Genomes Recently Sequenced.
TESTING LOCATIONS OF NDSU MAIZE BREEDING RESEARCH
How Diverse are Maize Hybrids within and across Companies?
How Many Companies Breed Hybrids under these Conditions?
NDSU Maize Breeding Program Addresses:
Lack of Genetic Diversity and Earliness
Early Corn Limitation – Short-Season Cold Tolerance
Fast Dry Down, Test Weight, Grain Quality
West Corn Limitation – Short-Season Drought Tolerance
NDSU is the Only Program in the West,
Winter Cold & Drought Managed Environments
Fast Applied Breeding (Two Winter Generations + One
Summer per Yr., 3 Times More Efficient than Without
Winter Nurseries as Before 1999)
Training Breeders for Industry and Public (20/20%)
NDSU PROVIDES UNIQUE AND DIVERSE MAIZE
PRODUCTS NOT PRESENT IN INDUSTRY
History – NDSU x NDSU (Low Industry Use, some ND203, ND246)
1999-2007 – NDSU x Industry Lines, System Open to All Provided
‘Cheap’ $500/request. (>140 Requests in 2007, 100% Full Funds to
Research). Three types of Agreements (MTA, Inbred Research,
Commercialization). Releases were Quick.
On-Going Additional Efforts – NDSU x NDSU and NDSU x Industry
Lines. NDSU Provides Experimental Lines to Foundation Seed
Companies, Re-Coding, Protection, Market, and Sell to Retailer
Companies in the Northern Market.
Releases are Delayed to Give Advantage.
ND2000
Reg. No. PL-306, PI 631394
Released after 4 Years of
Hybrid Tests and RS
For Breeding Programs Developing
Early-Maturing High Quality Hybrids
Distribution to more than 100 institutions
NDSU Research Foundation is the Owner
Distribution was not Exclusive (Equal
Access to All)
No PVP Protection
“Work Horse” Line for Seed Production
Use as Recurrent Parent for EarlyGEM
 Recurrent Selection & Pedigree Selection
Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic
1939
BSSS
1953
B14
1958
B37
1972
BS13(H)C5
B73
1984
BS13(H)C7
B84
1997
BS13(S)C5
B104
RECURRENT SELECTION AND
LINE DEVELOPMENT
RECURRENT SELECTION
ELITE X ELITE (2 Types)
FAMILY STRUCTURE
INBRED LINE DEVELOPMENT
EVALUATION
TC and SC TRIALS
RECOMBINATION
RELEASE OF LINES
NEXT CYCLE OF
SELECTION
IMPROVED POPULATIONS
PEDIGREE SELECTION
Breeding
TC Prod.
Trials
S0
07’
S1/2 (3-5,000)
07-08’
S3 (3 locs)
09’
S6
S1TC 2T
S3
S4/5
09-10’
10’
Stress/Disease
TC test
S4TC 4T
TC test
S6-8 SC Early and Late Maturity Trials with 8T in 2011
ND2015
No Reg. No. PL-, No PI
Released after 5 Years of
Hybrid Tests:
For Breeding Programs Developing
Early-Maturing Unique Hybrids
Distribution to 1 Institution!
NDSU Research Foundation is the Owner
Distribution was Exclusive (Not Equal
Access to All)
PVP Protection by NDSU Marketing Arm
NDSU EarlyGEM Product
GERMPLASM PRE-BREEDING SOURCES FOR NDSU MAIZE
INBRED LINE DEVELOPMENT (adapted from Carena et al., 2009b).
Germplasm Improved by
Intra & Inter Population
Recurrent Selection (RS)
(Advanced Cycles, ~10%)
Elite x Elite
(within Heterotic
Groups, ~40%)
Top Progenies
from RS (full sibs,
half sibs, S1s, and
S2s, with testers)
Germplasm
Adapted from
Stratified Mass
Selection (~5%)
Elite Industry
Lines under
MTAs (~5%)
Elite x Elite
(across Heterotic
Groups, ~5%)
NDSU Breeding Sources
Inbred Line Development
Top Backcross
Progenies from
NDSU EarlyGEM
Adapted Breeding
Crosses (~35%)
NDSU Maize Breeding: Genetic Diversity
GEM – Germplasm Enhancement Maize Program, 30 Industry &
Public Cooperators, Following LAMP
GOAL: To Increase the Genetic Diversity of Industry Hybrids by
Incorporating Unique Tropical and Temperate Corn
NDSU EarlyGEM Program: Unique to NDSU, Provides Industry the
Chance to Access Unique Tropical and Late Temperate Maize
NDSU Leads the First Long-Term Continued Effort to Incorporate
GEM Germplasm in the Northern U.S.
Over 10,000 BC1 Lines Screened so far. First Release/Distribution
of Breeder Seed in 2011.
Inspiration!
90RM GEM Lines Vs. 85RM Industry
Development of High Quality Drought Tolerant
Maize for Utilization in the Northern U.S.
NDSU Genetics Provided Superior Performance Not Only in Yield,
Test Weight, Drought Tolerance But Also in Grain Quality
Drought Tolerance
Extractable Starch
Fermentable Starch
Grain Protein
Grain Oil
193.8 % Yield Under Stress
67.8% vs. 64.2%
16.6% vs. 16.4%
10.5% vs. 9.4% (AA profile too)
4.3% vs. 3.5%
PREVENTING JOB AND WEALTH
MIGRATION FROM RURAL ND
Trotters, Western ND
Hwy 16
NDSU Maize Breeding for High Extractable
Starch under Drought Stress is a Solution in
Areas with Cheap Energy for Ethanol
Processing. Most Ethanol Plants are Located
in the West.
Without Short-Season Drought Tolerance, no
Product Utilization
Trotters, Western ND
NDSU Maize Breeding Results: Drought and Cold
ESSENTIAL!: WINTER NURSERY IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
(New Products Developed in 4 Yrs. Vs. 12 Yrs,
SEED PRODUCTION
DROUGHT SCREENING
NDSU Maize Breeding Efforts for Drought
And Cold Tolerance Supported By
MN and ND Corn Grower Associations
DROUGHT TESTING
NDSU Maize Breeding Results:
Earliness
Stratified Mass Selection provides earlier products
at less than $200 per population
20,000
400
20,000
400
20,000
400 Cycle 3 (C3)
Plants Evaluated
Plants Selected (only 2% each time)
NDSU Maize Breeding Results: Earliness
Millions of Dollars from NSF and USDA are Still Being Utilized for
Molecular Studies on non-Desirable Traits for Breeding (e.g.,
Flowering, Easy to Measure and Screen for).
NDSU has Made Maize Earlier at an Average Rate of 2.5 Days per
Year. ISU even more.
Cost: Less than a Penny per Plant Evaluated, a Cost/Efficient way
of Moving Maize North. Without Exceptions, all Tropical and Late
Temperate Maize have been Successfully Adapted.
After Selecting for Earliness
Yield
Grain Moisture
Test Weight
Plant and Ear Height
= +20 to 40 bu/ac
= -8 to -12 %
= +2 to 3.5 lb/bu
= -9 to -28 cm or -4 to -11 inches
NDSU Corn Breeding Results: Dry Down
A NEW METHOD FOR ESTIMATING RATE OF DRY DOWN

Area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC)
– AUDPC is used to summarize the progress of disease severity.
We Proposed: AUDDC 

n 1
(
i
yi  yi 1
)(t i 1  t i )
2
Area under the dry down curve (AUDDC)
Larger AUDDC area, representing
slower dry down progress
Smaller AUDDC area, representing
faster dry down progress
IN THE PIPELINE:
1) Development of the Next Generation Healthier Corn Products:
Adaptation of QPM Products, EarlyGEM lines, New Populations
(NDSS, NDL, NDBS11, EarlyGEM Synthetics for Different Traits)
New Index/Quality Factor: Quality/Acre
Screen from Current 4,000 to 25,000 Plots
2) Ex-PVP Lines, Evaluation of their Usefulness, Unique hybrid
Combinations not Tested Before
3) On-going intra- and inter-Population Improvement Programs
Major Applied Breeding Concerns
1) Infrastructure:
Cold Storage, Equipment, Personnel for Public Breeding Programs
Addressing Long-Term Goals of Adaptation and Improvement.
Not Very Popular among Grant Donors but Need Priority on
Brainstorming Ideas before going after Funding.
2) Research Emphasis:
Need more Innovation Research and Less “Cutting Edge” (what
Everybody does).
3) Cooperation:
Active cooperation with Industry should Provide Access to Latest
Technology and should Prevent Spending Millions in Academic
Labs that Become Obsolete Very Quickly (Indirect Costs should be
Eliminated to Stop Vicious Circle in the Public Sector).
Major Applied Breeding Concerns
4) Germplasm Exchange:
Think before Making Exclusive Agreements, Limiting Breeding
Access. The Best Cultivar for your Area Might Never be Made.
Will Royalties be the Only Way to Fund Public Breeding Programs?
5) Traits:
Do Breeding Programs Target Traits with New Technologies?
Markers, for instance, were Originally Created to Solve Breeder
Challenges with Quantitative Traits that are Difficult to Measure. Do
we need Markers for Maize Flowering? Too many Resources have
been used without Targeting Traits.
6) Germplasm:
Without Choosing, Sampling, and Locally Adapting Unique/Elite
Germplasm Neither Traditional Breeding Techniques nor Modern
Techniques will Succeed.
Major Applied Breeding Concerns
7) Hybrids:
Each Successful Hybrid has its Own Combination of Genetic
Effects. Sample Sizes for Basic Experiments (e.g., QTL) are Limited.
Genome Sequence Information Could Complement ‘Traditional’
Quantitative Genetic Studies on DH or Other Breeding Populations.
8) Recurrent Selection and Genetically Broad-Based Germplasm:
Breeding Programs Improving Genetically Broad-Based
Germplasm Could Provide National Labs Unique Genetic Materials
for Additional Sequencing Efforts and Increase the Sample Size
Currently Limited by B73 and NAM, Identify Unique Alleles. Few
Extensive Recurrent Selection Programs are Left that could
Validate Models for New Selection Methodologies (e.g., GWS).
Conclusions
There is a Need for Vital Projects to Agricultural Applied Research
that will Meet Present and Future Demands of Superior Genotypes
Tolerant to Climate Changes in the U.S. and Abroad.
Training the Next Generation of Breeders Need Major Exposure to
Germplasm Improvement AND Cultivar Development
Breeding Programs Addressing Climate Change Challenges are
Essential for the Future Sustainability of Corn Production not only
in Current Production Areas but Also in Areas Where Corn
Production is Headed.
Breeding Programs Should Adapt, Improve, and Develop Elite and
Unique Germplasm Through Most Efficient (old and new) Breeding
Strategies Depending on Cost and Impact.
Conclusions
Adaptation to Climate Changes Requires Improvement of Traits
Quantitatively Inherited Largely Influenced by the Environment.
These Traits are Often Controlled by Hundreds of Genes and Their
Interactions and are Difficult to Measure.
Ideas to Overcome the Evaluation of Such Traits should be a
Priority.
Long-term Activities to Adapt and Maximize Genetic Improvement
of Elite Germplasm under Climate Changes are Required. This will
be the Source of Unique Cultivars that will Meet the 21st Century
Demands of Food, Feed, Fuel, and Fiber.
Applied Breeding Programs are the Only Ones that can Meet Future
Environmental Changes and Applied Plant Breeding Capacity
Building will be Essential.
Acknowledgements
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
North Dakota Corn Council Utilization
North Dakota Corn Growers Association
North Dakota State Board of Ag. Research
North Dakota Ethanol Producers Assn.
USDA-GEM
BASF/Thurston Genetics
AgReliant Genetics
Monsanto
DuPont/Pioneer Hi-Bred International
Syngenta
Laboulet Semences
Ag Solutions
Dow/Mycogen
SGI Genetics
CIMMYT/FAO/European public partners