WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Researchers have sequenced the gene map of corn, also known as maize, a key crop across much of the world and a source of food, oil and products ranging from shoe polish to ethanol.
They said their sequence, to be released at a meeting in Washington on Thursday, would help plant scientists improve varieties of corn and other cereal crops, including rice, wheat and barley.
"Scientists now will be able to accurately and efficiently probe the corn genome to find ways to improve breeding and subsequently increase crop yields and resistance to drought and disease," Richard Wilson of Washington University in St. Louis, whose team led the effort, said in a statement.
The effort to sequence the entire gene map of corn has cost $29.5 million, funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Very interesting. It is also interesting to compare the cost of this project with that of the human genome project - http://tomscrace.blogspot.com/2008/02/corn-genome-unlocked.html
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, I didn't know there was such a difference in price....
ReplyDeleteThe reason, of course, is that DNA sequencing is an information technology, and therefore subject to the law of accelerating returns. The price-performance of this technology is on an exponentially increasing curve. When the HGP started in 1990 the cost of sequencing was about $10 per base pair, and is now measured in pennies or less.
ReplyDeleteWell, I will have to take your word on the cost of DNA sequencing ;)
ReplyDeleteI am just a security geek..lol