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URBANA, Ill. — When most growers plant corn, they expect
perfect, uniform rows and plump and pearly yellow kernels lining
the cob. But a group of USDA Agricultural Research Service
scientists intentionally plant the misfits — some gnarled and
speckled, others sprouting tassels where ears should be — to
perpetuate the wide array of genetic variation in the Midwest’s
most economically important crop.
The Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center, located on the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, contains 100,000
corn stocks representing genetic mutants. Why preserve the
weirdos? Because mutant genes confer some of the most important
traits in modern corn hybrids.
“Compared to the maize collection at the North Central Regional
Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) in Ames, Iowa, which focuses
on natural and breeding-derived diversity, the mutant collection
is a functional genomics engine,” said Martin Bohn, professor in
the Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of
Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.
“These lines allow us to dissect gene function directly —
something not possible with conventional panels. It’s the
difference between observing variation and understanding its
genetic basis.”
Take the sweet corn you enjoyed at your 4th of July cookout. The
gene responsible for its bursting sweetness and long shelf life
— shrunken2 — was first identified by U. of I. professor John
Laughnan, who was experimenting in the collection in the early
1950s. From there, Illini Supersweet Corn was born. The crop has
since been improved further, growing into a major summertime
staple — and a major boon for agribusinesses.
“Without the stock center, sweet corn would be a little less
sweet. And Illinois Foundation Seed, Inc.’s sweet corn research
wouldn’t be here today,” said Charlie Thompson, vice president
and director of research for IFSI’s vegetable business unit.
“IFSI worked with U. of I. in those early years. We were the
first to market Dr. Laughnan’s sweet corn hybrids, which were a
primary driver for our business. It’s cool that a local
connection has had such a global impact.”
Thompson’s Central Illinois-based team, like other companies and
research groups around the world, routinely dips into the
collection to improve corn traits, including disease resistance
and stress tolerance. That’s possible because, as part of the
USDA’s National Plant Germplasm System, seeds are made freely
available to any requestor.
Enabling innovation
Among the most frequent requestors are U. of I. crop sciences
professors, who use the stock center for basic and applied
research, not to mention training the next generation of corn
breeders and geneticists.
For example, Bohn, along with College of ACES faculty and
graduate students, recently used the collection to identify
genes that influence the root microbiome, revealing that corn
can actively select for microbes that suppress nitrogen loss or
even promote nitrogen fixation.
“These insights are now informing breeding strategies aimed at
reducing fertilizer inputs and improving environmental
outcomes,” Bohn said. “None of this would be possible without
access to the materials provided by the maize stock center.”
Crop sciences professor Steve Moose says the advancements coming
out of the stock center are innumerable, in part because the
collection enables basic genetics research that informs
commercial innovation years down the line. For example, current
industry excitement over short corn — shorter-statured plants
that may reduce lodging, increase harvest efficiency, and
achieve greater yield — originated from short mutants in the
collection.
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An ARS employee displays “John Deere corn,” named for the green coloration in
the kernel’s aleurone layer. Credit: Lauren Quinn, College of ACES
To make all of these innovations possible, the ARS scientists
who run the facility — which consists of three large and
precisely calibrated cold storage rooms, a laboratory, and
office spaces in College of ACES buildings — meticulously
catalog the collection’s 100,000 corn stocks, leveraging their
deep knowledge of the genes and traits represented in each stock
to advise requestors and pack seeds for shipment. They also grow
the stock collection on a 12-year cycle to replenish fresh
seeds. It’s a big job for a few very specialized experts, but it
works.
“You touch it, you break it.”
Despite the stock center’s efficient, smooth operation, low
operating costs, and industry support, the corn genetics
community is concerned about the facility’s future. That’s
because, in early June, the ARS location in Urbana — which
operates both the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center and
the National Soybean Germplasm Collection — appeared on a short
list of ARS facilities slated for closure and consolidation as
part of the proposed 2026 USDA budget. Under the plan, the stock
center would be consolidated with the North Central Regional
Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) in Ames, Iowa.
The survival of the invaluable collection depends on seeds held
at precise temperature and humidity set points. Transporting
100,000 stocks and building the required facilities in a new
location pose real challenges to the collection’s integrity. And
experts argue there’s little to no benefit to consolidation.
“The stock center is historically rooted at the University of
Illinois, and the concentration of expertise, infrastructure,
and institutional continuity in Urbana is unmatched and
irreplaceable. I also question whether NCRPIS can realistically
absorb the stock center without substantial investments in both
facilities and personnel. Relocating it would disrupt ongoing
research and put a globally unique resource at risk,” Bohn said.
“In my view, if you touch it, you break it.”
Legislators and industry groups are voicing support to maintain
the three ARS locations facing consolidation, resulting in
report language from the House appropriations committee that it
“rejects proposed research program terminations.” USDA’s
proposal to relocate, rather than terminate the collections and
programs outright, may render that advice moot, however. The
USDA budget and any enforceable statutory language related to
relocation are currently under consideration by the Senate
appropriations committee, with full Congressional votes to come.
In the meantime, advocates continue to make their case against
consolidation.
Brad Stotler, director of government affairs for the Illinois
Corn Growers Association, is one of those advocates. “Relocating
the collection risks the loss of critical institutional
knowledge and slows progress on research that benefits American
agriculture — all at significant and unnecessary expense,” he
said. “The ARS facility in Urbana and the unique collections of
soybeans and maize housed there are critically important to
advancing genetic research and improving American agriculture.
The maize collection has 72 years of history on the Illinois
campus, and it's more important than ever to invest in these
programs and protect the well-established research collaboration
between ARS and U. of I. scientists.”
[Lauren Quinn] |
