Quantitative genetic analysis of maize organogenesis
Uncovering the genetic architecture of complex maize phenotypes is a core goal in understanding fundamental genetics and plant breeding. Several characteristics of maize have made it a staple model organism for studying gene regulation and a global food source. Understanding the underlying genetics of maize inflorescence serves both purposes. Maize tassel, ear, and leaf organogenesis, although divergent in position on the plant, are hypothesized to share many of the same regulating genomic components. Insights into the genes regulating leaf, ear, and tassel morphology have implications for our understanding of pleiotropy, translating to knowledge on their genomic architectures. This thesis's two core focuses are to i) develop novel understanding of the genetic architecture leaf angle and tassel primary branches and ii) reveal candidate pleiotropic genes regulating the development of male and female inflorescence and leaf architecture in maize. In its totality, this thesis argues that quantitative genetic approaches need be as complex as the trait(s) they scrutinize. I discuss this notion as it applies to genomic prediction models and then apply it to investigate genetic components regulating leaf and inflorescence organogenesis in maize.
quantitative genetics, maize, genomic prediction
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign