Drought tolerance in Pioneer brand corn hybrids
by Steve Butzen and Jeff Schussler
Crop Insights Vol. 16 No. 15
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

SUMMARY

• Drought decreases corn yields more than any other single cause. For this reason, developing hybrids with drought tolerance has been a primary goal of Pioneer corn breeders for decades.
• Pioneer has made significant progress for this trait. Empha-sis on performance under both drought and well-watered conditions has resulted in hybrids that withstand drought but still yield competitively when more rainfall occurs.
• To increase the rate of gain for drought tolerance in corn hybrids, Pioneer has established “managed stress environ-ments” in arid areas. This allows researchers to apply drought stress at exact growth stages and levels of severity.
• Pioneer researchers also are employing new technology tools to speed drought tolerance improvements, including molecular breeding, map-based cloning and insertion of genes from other species (transgenic breeding.)
• This article will discuss past progress for Pioneer in improving drought tolerance in corn hybrids, and current efforts that are accelerating these gains and establishing leadership in drought tolerance research at Pioneer.
• A future Crop Insights will focus on how Pioneer establishes drought tolerance ratings for corn hybrids based on thorough testing and knowledge of hybrid characteristics that confer this trait.

Full article: http://www.prairie360.com/clients/mcc/pioneer/ci/cropinsights53.pdf