Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Industry and Business News .




FARM NEWS
Ancient maize followed two paths into the Southwest
by Staff Writers
Davis CA (SPX) Jan 11, 2015


File image.

After it was first domesticated from the wild teosinte grass in southern Mexico, maize, or corn, took both a high road and a coastal low road as it moved into what is now the U.S. Southwest, reports an international research team that includes a UC Davis plant scientist and maize expert.

The study, based on DNA analysis of corn cobs dating back over 4,000 years, provides the most comprehensive tracking to date of the origin and evolution of maize in the Southwest and settles a long debate over whether maize moved via an upland or coastal route into the U.S.

Study findings, which also show how climatic and cultural impacts influenced the genetic makeup of maize, will be reported Jan. 8 in the journal Nature Plants.

The study compared DNA from archaeological samples from the U.S. Southwest to that from traditional maize varieties in Mexico, looking for genetic similarities that would reveal its geographic origin.

"When considered together, the results suggest that the maize of the U.S. Southwest had a complex origin, first entering the U.S. via a highland route about 4,100 years ago and later via a lowland coastal route about 2,000 years ago," said Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra, an associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.

The study further provided clues to how and when maize adapted to a number of novel pressures, ranging from the extreme aridity of the Southwest climate to different dietary preferences of the local people.

Excavations of multiple stratigraphic layers of Tularosa cave in New Mexico allowed researchers to compare genetic data from samples from different time periods.

"These unique data allowed us to follow the changes occurring in individual genes through time," said lead author Rute Fonseca of the University of Copenhagen. Researchers used these data to identify genes showing evidence of adaptation to drought and genes responsible for changes in starch and sugar composition leading to the development of sweet corn, desired for cultivation by indigenous people and later Europeans.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of California - Davis
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








FARM NEWS
Beating back the desert in Burkina Faso, field by field
Rim, Burkina Faso (AFP) Jan 9, 2015
In Burkina Faso, what was once stony semi-wasteland is now covered in verdant crop fields, rescued from relentless desertification. Using simple agricultural techniques largely spread by word-of-mouth, this tiny West African state has rejuvenated vast stretches of scrubby soil over the past 30 years, proving they are not doomed and giving hope to other vulnerable areas in the region. One ... read more


FARM NEWS
Why some geckos lose their ability to stick to surfaces

Integrated space-group and crystal-structure determination

Moving origami techniques forward for self-folding 3-D structures

Uruguay receives mobile border surveillance system

FARM NEWS
Navy prepares for Jan. 20 communications satellite launch

Navy picks MIL Corporation for communications support

Harris Corporation supplies Philippines with tactical radios

Satellite for military communications closer to launch

FARM NEWS
Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

SpaceX to attempt rocket, cargo launch Saturday

Arianespace confident current and future launcher family will meet needs

Rocket glitch forces SpaceX to abort landmark launch

FARM NEWS
W3C and OGC to Collaborate to Integrate Spatial Data on the Web

AirAsia disappearance fuels calls for real-time tracking

Four Galileo satellites at ESA test centre

Russia to Debate US Discrimination of Glonass System in UN: Reports

FARM NEWS
Philippines buying C-130s from U.S. for security, disaster relief

Turkey to order four more F-35 from US Lockheed Martin

Cubic Corporation helping upgrade F-35 air combat training system

Army orders mobile air traffic control towers

FARM NEWS
Toward quantum chips

Shedding light on why blue LEDS are so tricky to make

The fractional quantum Hall effect helps progress computing applications

Atoms queue up for quantum computer networks

FARM NEWS
NASA Satellite Set to Get the Dirt on Soil Moisture

NOAA's DSCOVR to provide 'EPIC' views of earth

NASA's GPM Launches Hands-On Field Campaign for Students

NASA satellite captures images of isolated forest in Malawi

FARM NEWS
India bans burning cow dung near yellowing Taj Mahal

Mercury from gold mines accumulates far downstream

China encourages environmental social groups to sue

Beijing dangerous smog down four percent in 2014: govt




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.