The effect of artificial selection on phenotypic plasticity in maize

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Genetics
• Plant Breeding

Background:

• Modern crop breeding has significantly increased productivity.
• The impact of intensive selection on crop performance across variable environments remains unclear.
• Understanding genotype by environment (G×E) interactions is crucial for predicting crop performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of selection on G×E variation in maize.
• To characterize genetic polymorphisms associated with phenotypic plasticity in maize.
• To evaluate if modern breeding practices have altered maize's adaptability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Genomes to Fields (G2F) Maize G×E project.
• Analyzed genomic regions under selection during temperate maize breeding.
• Investigated the relationship between genomic variants and yield stability across environments.

Main Results:

• Genomic regions selected during modern maize breeding explained less yield G×E variability than unselected regions.
• Modern temperate maize cultivars may have reduced G×E interactions due to breeding.
• Variants associated with stability were enriched upstream of genes, suggesting regulatory control of plasticity.

Conclusions:

• Intensive artificial selection in maize breeding may have inadvertently decreased its adaptability to diverse environments.
• Phenotypic plasticity in maize appears to be influenced by short-range regulatory elements.
• Further research into the genetic basis of G×E interactions can improve crop performance predictions.