Maize
OPTIMAIS - Improving biomass yield in energy maize by optimizing the water use efficiency through breeding
Persons in charge: Sebastian Gresset, Peter Westermeier
Project duration: 01.04.2009 - 31.03.2012
Project partners: Peter Westhoff, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf; Carsten Knaak, Milena Ouzunova, Thomas Presterl, KWS SAAT AG
Project management agency: Project Management Jülich (PTJ)
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Project description:
Due to breeding progress, an increase of biomass yield from currently 20 tonnes per hectare to 30 t/ha seems possible within the next ten years. This efficiency enhancement in producing agricultural commodities would raise the percentage of energy derived from domestic biomass substantially and hence at the same time mitigate the increasing competition between energy and food production.
Present maize cultivars would require a water supply of far more than 600 l/m2 to achieve a similar yield enhancement. Due to climate change, already today precipitations of this magnitude are commonly not to be expected in many regions of Germany and Central Europe.
Based on quantitative genetic, physiological and molecular biological methods this project aims to identify genomic regions and finally genes for yield stability under water limited conditions in maize. Furthermore the understanding of the phenotypic expression on physiological and morphological level will be deepened.
Drought tolerant genotypes, which are so far not utilized in maize production due to limited biomass yield potential, but which are characterised through high yield stability under water limited conditions, are the basis for identifying genomic regions determining the degree of drought tolerance. To reach this aim the Plant Breeding group at the Technische Universität München cooperates with scientists from Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf and the seed company KWS Saat AG. The project’s results will be directly implemented in developing high yielding energy maize cultivars with high yield stability under adverse water conditions through Breeding by Design.