|
St. Louis, Missouri
December 14, 2000
The National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) today applauded the announcement of the completion of the genome-sequencing project
for a mustard plant, Arabidopsis. This is the first complete plant genome sequence and the most complete
sequence of any higher organisms, even more complete than the human genome announced earlier this
summer.
The National Science Foundation, an independent government agency that focuses on funding basic research,
made the announcement in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. The NSF said the Arabidopsis has become the
plant counterpart to the lab mouse, providing clues to how many organisms work and with potential
applications in agriculture, energy and medicine. The mustard plant is a model for more than 250,000 other
plant types.
"This a breakthrough for plant research that will affect all corn growers, and NCGA members can take great
pride that it was leadership by NCGA that led to the announcement,'' said Lee Klein, NCGA President and a
farmer from Battle Creek, Neb. "Wednesday's announcement wouldn't have been possible without NCGA
leading the effort to get major funding for the Plant Genome Initiative. Thanks to NCGA this sequencing
project is four years ahead of schedule.''
Klein and NCGA member Bob Boeding of Iowa were in Washington, D.C., for the announcement.
"The NCGA knows that the future of the corn industry is written in corn's genetic code,'' Klein emphasized.
"To compete internationally the U.S. must continually work to maximize yield and minimize yield loss from
disease, pests, and the weather without harming the environment. Modern biotechnology, through plant
genomics, holds the key to achieving this goal,'' Klein added.
Arabidopsis is the smallest genome of all plants and is a valuable scientific model because of its short life span.
The genome is the complete set of instructions for making an organism. It contains the master blueprint for all
cellular structures and activities for the lifetime of the cell or organism. By understanding genomes, scientists
can learn how genes contribute to the shape, function, and development of the whole plant and to use genes
from corn and other significant crops to improve important traits such as nutritional value, stress tolerance, and
resistance to pests.
Since 1995, the NCGA has led efforts to obtain funding for corn genome and
plant genome research. The "National Corn Genome Initiative'' called for funding of a five-year, genome mapping, sequencing, and trait
identification research program for corn. In 1997, the NCGA began calling for a
"Plant Genome Initiative'' to generate increased support for the project and in recognition of the fact that genome research in other plants
would, ultimately, benefit to corn research efforts. With the leadership of Senator Kit Bond, Chairman of the
Senate VA, HUD appropriations subcommittee, the NCGA secured $40 million for the first year (FY 1998)
of a National Science Foundation (NSF) plant genome initiative. In providing the funding, the NSF was
directed to accelerate the Arabidopsis full genome-sequencing project and to move beyond the current work
towards more "economically important plant genome projects such as corn, wheat, rice, and
soybeans.'' Since the first year's funding, an additional $200 million has gone to the NSF Plant Genome Initiative.
The benefits of this Initiative include:
- Reduced worldwide malnutrition due to higher yielding and more nutritious crops;
- Development of tailored hybrids with valuable specialty starches, oils, and protein content;
- Revitalization of rural America due to a more robust agricultural sector;
- Expansion of plant-based renewable resources for energy and raw materials for chemicals;
- Significant reductions in crop losses and reliance on pesticides through improved
biological control methods;
- Improved yields and reduced crop losses from heat, drought, and salt;
- Improved nitrogen-use efficiency;
- For livestock producers modify the digestibility of phosphorous in feed corn to reduce the amount of phosphorous that enters ground water;
- Development of tailored hybrids with valuable specialty starches, oils, and protein content.
NCGA news release
N3201 |
