Global Reliance on Corn Belt Dent with Dr. Stephen Smith

<p class="MsoNormal">“Global Dependence Upon Corn Belt Dent Maize Germplasm: Challenges and Opportunities” with Dr. Stephen Smith, Affiliate Professor at Iowa State University</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Plant breeders are constantly trying to find the best crosses to increase the traits farmers and consumers want. However, continually crossing the same varieties can decrease the genetic gene pool over time, making plants susceptible to certain pests, diseases, and other stressors. To help understand the depth of the gene pool and to better understand how reliant we are on certain crop varieties, Dr. Stephen Smith and his team attempted to survey which maize varieties are bred and used the most. On this episode, we dive deep to discover what his team turned up.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tune in to learn:</p> <ul> <li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style= "text-indent: -0.25in;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span style= "font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">        </span></span></span> <!--[endif]-->What obstacles can exist for researchers trying to gather worldwide breeding data</li> <li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style= "text-indent: -0.25in;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span style= "font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">        </span></span></span> <!--[endif]-->Why pre-breeding is a crucial complement to the newest tech</li> <li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style= "text-indent: -0.25in;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span style= "font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">        </span></span></span> <!--[endif]-->Which countries keep the best maize breeding records</li> <li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">