Predicting complex phenotypes using multi-omics data in maize.
Creach M, Webster B, Newton L, Turkus J, Schnable JC
Crop Improvement
Corn breeders using these methods could develop varieties that hold up better in your region's shifting rainfall patterns — meaning more reliable harvests from the farms that supply your local farmers market.
Researchers looked at corn plants three ways at once: their DNA blueprint, which genes were actually switched on in the field, and aerial photos capturing how the plants looked from a drone. When they combined all three sources of information, their computer models got much better at predicting things like how tall a plant would grow, how long until it flowered, and how deep its roots would go. One surprising finding was that measuring which genes were active in one field could even predict how plants would perform in a completely different location — something DNA alone couldn't do.
Key Findings
Multi-omics models combining genomic, transcriptomic, and phenomic data outperformed single-data-type models for most of 129 maize traits tested across nine growing environments.
Gene expression data collected at one field location could accurately predict traits measured at a different field location, enabling cross-environment trait prediction.
Drone-derived vegetative index data alone showed the lowest predictive power overall, but uniquely improved predictions for root architecture traits.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists combined genetic, gene expression, and aerial imaging data to predict 129 different traits in corn plants far more accurately than using any single data type alone. This multi-layered approach also revealed how gene activity helps explain why the same corn variety performs differently across different growing environments.
Abstract Preview
Understanding and predicting complex traits in plants remains a fundamental challenge due to the emergent nature of most phenotypes and their dependence on genetic, regulatory, and environmental in...
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Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...