Researchers report some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues ...

For centuries, corn growers have focused almost entirely on what happens above ground in terms of plant health and yield. Today, scientists like Jim Schwartz are looking below ground – in the root ...

Corn was domesticated from its ancestor teosinte in central Mexico beginning about 9,000 years ago by humans selectively breeding the wild plant, transforming its small, hard-shelled kernels into the ...

Trait results in roots better able to capture more water and nutrients from soil, need less fertilizer, and withstand drought UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new discovery, reported in a global study that ...

Researchers have revealed for the first time how a key gene in plants allows them to use their energy more efficiently, enabling them to grow more roots and capture more water and nutrients. An ...

A study has identified key genetic pathways in corn that help its roots branch out to find water in soil; the varieties adapted to temperate regions like the U.S. corn belt showed large differences in ...

A new discovery, reported in a global study that encompassed more than a decade of research, could lead to the breeding of corn crops that can withstand drought and low-nitrogen soil conditions and ...