Seed Industry Marks 20th Anniversary of Critical Public-Private Corn Initiative

Germplasm Enhancement Maize Project (GEM) Praised for Contributions to Crop Improvements and Sustainability

Alexandria, VA (September 20, 2013) Calling the Germplasm Enhancement Maize Project (GEM) a “model for future public-private research endeavors” and citing its vital role in ensuring the stability of the corn industry worldwide, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) today issued a statement honoring those who have contributed to its 20 years of success.

“The collaborative work of researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), our public universities and private seed companies has been invaluable in releasing publicly many unique corn inbred lines capable of contributing genetics to combat diseases and pests,” said ASTA president and CEO Andrew W. LaVigne. “As extreme year-after-year climatic conditions present challenges to corn production in America, GEM’s focus on adapting exotic corn germplasm to these conditions will help our corn growers meet the growing demand for food, feed and fuel worldwide.”

Global food security is reliant on the U.S. corn crop which accounts for about 30% of world corn exports. GEM was created within USDA-ARS to provide a critical link in the research and development chain that aims to deploy genes from the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) to address the limited genetic diversity of U.S. corn.

The germplasm initially used by GEM was identified during the Latin American Maize Project (LAMP), which involved ARS, North Carolina State University, other U.S. universities and the national corn programs of several Latin American nations. This multinational program was launched during the 1980s. LAMP focused on Central and South America because corn was domesticated there; but today, GEM’s germplasm base has expanded significantly with additions from Thailand, Mexico and Brazil, and improved exotic lines and superior tropical hybrids donated by public and private cooperators. This “pre-breeding” and adaptation often requires many decades of work — beyond the investment horizon of any one private company — before genetic materials are ready to contribute substantially to hybrid development.

Materials from tropical breeding crosses have proven effective sources of resistance to Fusarium, gray leaf spot and southern rust, and of value-added traits such as unique starch properties, high protein and oil content, and silage quality. Once publicly released, GEM inbred lines are available to any breeders who request them.

The seed industry has been involved since the early days of the LAMP project and currently provides over $625,000 of in kind support annually for this effort. Industry germplasm contributions to GEM are currently valued in the billions of US dollars. The USDA-ARS annual budget for this project is $1,585,000 (FY2013).

“GEM represents what can be accomplished by the effective marshaling of resources from a diverse group of public and private sector partners to address long-term goals,” said Peter Bretting, a National Program Leader with USDA-ARS. “The federal sector contributes expert personnel, specialized facilities and long-term recurrent support; the university sector contributes additional experts, students and many other resources, especially for specific research studies; and the private sector provides access to the elite proprietary germplasm, in-kind support, research data and continual input about the commercial relevance of GEM inbred lines and research results.”