45th Illinois Corn Breeders School Program

Monday, March 2, 2009

7:30 am Registration

8:20 Welcome and Announcements

8:30 Rita Mumm (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Foundational Aspects of 21st Century Crop Improvement: Biotechnology, Genomic Applications, and Traditional Breeding Practices

9:05 Vipula Shukla (DOW-DAS)
Precise Genome Modification in Maize Using Zinc-Finger Nucleases

9:40 Shawn Carlson (Chromatin, Inc.)
Mini-Chromosomes and Their Use in Corn Improvement

10:15 Break

10:45 Guri Johal (Purdue University)
MAGIC: A Genetic Strategy for Discovering and Harnessing Natural Allele Variants for Trait Manipulation

11:20 Thomas Luebberstedt (Iowa State University)
Development and Application of Functional Markers

12:00 Lunch

1:30 pm Mark Cooper (Pioneer)
Breeding for Drought Tolerance

2:00 Warren Kruger (Monsanto)
Breeding and Modern Genomic Tool Integration

2:30 Sofia Silva (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Assessing Novel Genes Associated with Starch Content in Maize through Transcript Profiling Analysis

3:00 Break

3:30 Catherine Bermudez Kandianis (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Translating Biochemistry to Breeding for High Carotenoid Traits in Maize

4:00 Dave Mies (Syngenta)
Current Trends in Corn Production and the Seed Corn Industry in China

4:30 Rod Weinzierl (Illinois Corn Growers Association)
Does Corn Win or Lose in Greenhouse Gas Legislation?

5:00 Social Hour

6:00 Dinner

7:00 After Dinner Talk - May Berenbaum (University of Illinois, Department of Entomology)

7:00 am Coffee, Juice, Donuts, and Rolls

7:55 Announcements

8:00 Kent Eskridge (University of Nebraska)
Field Trial Designs in Plant Breeding 

8:30 Graziana Taramino (DuPont) 
Forward Genetic Approaches for Identifying Genes Controlling Root Architecture in Maize

9:00 Andrew Hauck (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Quantitative Genetics at the Molecular Level: A Root Metabolomics Case Study

9:30 Break

10:00 Frank Hochholdinger (University of Tuebingen, Germany)
Research in the German Priority Program: Heterosis in Plants

10:30 Forrest Troyer  (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Heterosis Decreasing in Hybrids: Yield Test Inbreds

11:00 John Dudley (University of Illinois, Crop Sciences)
Epistasis and Improved Prediction of Performance in Corn

11:30 Bruce Hibbard (USDA-ARS, University of Missouri)
Rootworm Management with Genetically Modified Corn: Current Status, Potential for Resistance, and a Look Toward the Future

12:00 Adjourn