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• Nearly 12,000 yield plots were conducted at or coordinated from Ames.
• Twelve breeding crosses were selected for advancement by Ames.
• Over 1800 topcrossed lines will be available for Corn Belt yield testing in 2000.
• In trials analyzed to date at Ames, 186 topcrossed S₂ lines from GEM breeding crosses beat the average of commercial check hybrids.
• A field day was held on September 22 at the CAD Uthe farm in Ames, and on September 27 in Harlan IA in cooperation with Wilson Genetics L.L.C.
• GEM gained six additional private cooperators (SEEDirect, Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Hyland Seeds, Genetica FIL-MEX S.A. de C.V., National Starch & Chemical Co., and Seed Consultants, Inc.) and one public cooperator (Ken Russell, University of Nebraska).
• A total of 11 public cooperator projects were partially supported financially by GEM.
• Three fast-track lines with values for range of gelatinization (R_nG, a measure of starch quality) less than our target value of less than 5°C were found (DK212T:S0610-10-1-3 with 4.7°C R_nG, DK212T:S0610-25-1-1 with 4.7°C R_nG, and CUBA164:S2008a-6-1-2 with 4.9°C R_nG).
• Two fast-track lines with values for Peak Height Index (PHI, a measure of starch quality) at our target value for selecting lines were found (DK212T:S0610-25-1-3 with 1.2 PHI and DK212T:S0610-48-1-1 with 1.2 PHI).
• Several S₂ lines with enhanced fatty acid content were found, including FS8A(T)N:1801-6-2, with 1.6% linolenic acid, FS8A(T)N:1801-6-3, with 0.2% linolenic acid, FS8A(T)N:1801-55-4, with 1.1% stearic acid, and FS8A(T)N:1801-34-2, with 7.5% palmitic acid and 9.6% total saturated fatty acids.
• Along with cooperators at Iowa State University (Pam White and Jay-lin Jane), we were able to receive additional financial support from USDA-NRI and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board for further development and characterization of GEM lines for starch quality.

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Raleigh Location

• Almost 12,000 yield trial plots were conducted at or coordinated through the Raleigh location in 1999.
• Approximately 400 entries were in second year trials; over 700 entries were in first year trials.
• Twelve cooperators (6 companies, 5 universities, and 1 ARS) grew GEM trials coordinated through the Raleigh location at 20 locations across the south, east, and lower Midwest.
• Twenty GEM 50% tropical breeding populations are at various stages of advancement at the Raleigh location.
• Almost 2,000 GEM entries were testcrossed either by hand or in isolation blocks at Raleigh or by a cooperator this summer. Approximately 1,000 entries will be testcrossed this winter.
• Approximately 700 nursery rows were devoted to advancing GEM materials at Raleigh along with 660 observation plots.
• Over 600 rows of disease plots devoted to GEM materials were grown in 1999. Many of the 50% tropical GEM breeding crosses had Gray Leaf Spot resistance equal to or superior to the resistance check hybrid.
• Twelve S2 lines from the breeding cross BR51403:N16 that demonstrated superior yield in two years of testing were increased for release. 
• A single row ear corn picker was donated to the project by Pioneer for harvesting isolation plots.

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• Javier Betran at Texas A&M has advanced and selected new GEM breeding crosses with potential to have aflatoxin resistance, and new derived lines with superior grain quality (energy dense, low linolenic, and high oleic).

• Larry Darrah, USDA-ARS at Columbia MO, found that UR13085:S1912 had the best combination of good rind penetrometer resistance and vertical root pulling resistance.

• James Hawk, University of Delaware, is working with lines from DKXL212:N11a which have good grain quality.

• Although Bruce Hibbard, USDA-ARS at Columbia MO, found no significant differences between GEM breeding crosses in a Western Corn Rootworm evaluation, all but one cross were nominally less damaged than the susceptible control, B37×H84, and twenty-two crosses were nominally less damaged than the resistant control, NGSDCRW1(C4)S2.

• Robert Lambert at University of Illinois is topcrossing S4 families of BR5101 with good disease resistance and starch values in the range of 69 to 73%.

• Gary Munkvold, Iowa State University, demonstrated that fumonisin concentrations in inoculated ears were closely correlated with visual disease ratings. This knowledge can greatly increase the cost-effectiveness of evaluating corn germplasm for susceptibility or resistance to Fusarium ear rot.

• Richard Pratt, Ohio State University, evaluated S2 testcrosses of GEM FS8A(S):S09 S2 that yielded selections at approximately the 10% level and that were highly competitive with the commercial hybrids entered as replicated checks in the tests. These lines will also be selected for grain quality.

• Jerry Sell at Iowa State University evaluated experimental high-protein GEM lines in chicken feeding trials. Overall, the data show that the greater protein content of the experimental corn could prove advantageous economically for use in feeds of broiler chickens because of a decrease in the amount of the major protein source (soybean meal) needed in diets containing these corns. Additional research should be done with larger supplies of the experimental corns to obtain more definitive information about their feeding value.

• In 1996 Margaret Smith of Cornell University selected, based on per se anthracnose stalk rot resistance and testcross yield potential, FS8B(T):N1802, CH04030:S0906, AR01150:N0406, and GOQUEEN:N1603. Observations from line development continue to suggest that levels of resistance have been maintained and/or improved, while days to flowering continue to be reduced gradually.

• Dennis West of University of Tennessee is incorporating into his program southern GEM lines shown to have potential to contribute useful genes to local germplasm.

• Jim Coors at University of Wisconsin, while evaluating high-yielding topcrosses for silage quality, found two with both excellent yield and quality: CUBA164:S15-64-10 x LH185 and CUBA164:S15-184-1 x LH185. The former had the highest silage yield in the trial, which included check hybrid N4687, one of the highest yielding silage hybrids currently available in the north central region of the U.S. Furthermore, both GEM topcrosses had above average quality for all traits examined (low NDF, ADF, and high IVTD, IVNDFD, and protein). In particular, CUBA164:S15-64-10 X LH185 had excellent digestibility on both a whole-plant and fiber basis. Both topcrosses should continue to be evaluated for silage potential.

• Wenwei Xu, with Texas A&M in Lubbock, found three GEM breeding crosses with significantly better than the mean of all 77 entries (7.9 cm) in resistance to Corn Earworm Feeding (CEW): CUBA117:S15 (5.1 cm), GUAT209:N19 (5.1 cm), and BR51501:S11a (5.3 cm). Feeding damage below 5-cm is usually considered as an indication of CEW resistance. These crosses may provide new sources of genes to manage drought stress and economic insects.

• Mark Campbell’s (Truman State University) results comparing amylose levels on GEM materials with near-infrared transmittance spectroscopy (NITS) and an older iodine-based colorometric method using isolated starch suggest that NITS may be useful when a quick screening method is needed to discriminate mutant from non-mutant genotypes especially when visual identification is difficult. Exotic germplasm may be an important source of modifiers to the ae allele since values as high as 70% have were identified.

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February 9, 1999, Ames, IA: Items discussed included line recyling by companies, agenda for upcoming ARS review of GEM, protocol for line releases, Ames lab space problems, and budgets.

June 2, 1999, Lebanon, IN: Linda and Marty reviewed their programs and research, and how it relates to their research, coordination, and participation in GEM. A subcommittee was formed to calculate the true cost of GEM, and the cost of the inbreds used in the breeding crosses and in kind support. More work was accomplished on strategy for the GEM ARS Review, especially as relating to data and accessibility, value-added traits, public cooperation, private cooperator needs, and future GEM focus.

September 23, 1999, Ames, IA: Acting ISU Department Head, Tom Loynichan, and Dean David Topel attended to discuss space issues. Terry Nelson, ARS Associate Area Director, discussed GEM’s space problems from the ARS perspective. Ken Ziegler discussed the popcorn seed industry’s discussion and plans to develop a proposal to function as a subgroup of GEM. Dave Harper and Dirk Benson discussed their upcoming trip to ARS administrators and Congressional members in Washington, DC. Kevin Montgomery discussed herbicide tolerances of GEM materials, and the need to take good records on observations. He will give an update at the Cooperator’s meeting in Chicago. Rich Pratt brought up indirect costs problems at his university. He is charged indirect costs on his GEM project. GEM cannot pay indirect costs his university charges his project. These problems will jeopardize GEM’s ability to defray some of the costs of public cooperators.

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Raleigh: Joe Hudyncia was hired in March as a field technician. Vickie Brewster, a Support Scientist, spends 40% of her time on GEM data compilation, regional yield trial coordination, and disease trait evaluation.
 

• Article “Exotics studied to expand value-added ag” in Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, January 16

• Article “Use exotic to expand value added products” in Guthrie Center Times, January 13

• Article “Corn genetics program is a GEM of an idea” in Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, February 6

• Presentation to NCR-167 of "Fusarium and Gibberella ear rot reactions of exotic maize germplasm" by G.P. Munkvold* and Chandra Gravert, February

• Presentation to the Northeastern Corn Improvement Conference entitled “Anthracnose stalk rot resistance from exotic germplasm through the U.S. GEM Project” by M.E. Smith, L.F. Alliprandini, and L. Ericson, February.

• Presentation made to Illinois Corn Breeder’s School entitled, “Developing Temperate Inbreds from Tropical Germplasm: Rationale, Results, and Conclusions” by M. M. Goodman and M. L. Carson, March.

• Invited presentation of “Improving corn germplasm for yield and value-added traits by introgression of genes from exotic varieties and Tripsacum dactyloides” at The Banbury Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, March 3, by Linda Pollak.

• Presentation of the poster to the American Oil Chemistry Society of “Utilizing the ‘Fast Track Breeding Technique’ to Alter the Fatty Acid Composition of Corn Belt Corn Oils” by S. Duvick, L. Pollak, N. Shen and P. White, May, New Orleans.

• Invited presentation of “Lines for Improved Yield and Value-Added Traits Results from GEM” at Popcorn Breeding’99, June 9, Ames, IA.

• Article “Exotics expand value-added ag” in Iowa Farmer Today, July 3.

• September News Release by ISU “Corn germplasm field days planned”.

• Article “Corn germplasm field day focuses on increasing yield, improving quality” in Iowa State Daily, September 22.

• Field and poster display at Farm Progress Show September 28-30.

• Publication of Gravert, C.E., and Munkvold, G.P. 1999. Evaluation of exotic corn germplasm for resistance to Gibberella ear rot, 1996-1998. Biological and Cultural Tests for the Control of Plant Diseases. 14:11.

• Presentation to Fourth African Crop Science Congress of “Germplasm enhancement through cooperative research and breeding using elite tropical and U.S. Corn Belt maize germplasm” by Richard Pratt, P. E. Lipps, G. Bigirwa, and D. Kyetere, Casablaca, Morocco, October.

• Presentation to The Ohio State University Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science of "Germplasm Enhancement of Maize: The GEM Project" by R. Pratt, Dec. 10.

• Article “Plan B for biotech” in The Furrow, December.

• Ph.D. Dissertation entitled “Quantitative trait loci, and use of the theory for detecting favorable alleles in maize genetic materials” by A. Kraja, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 96 pp.

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Private In-kind Nursery Support – Winter 1999-2000

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