NCGA and its state partners were extremely successful in focusing
attention and resources towards the sequencing of the corn genome. This
success has opened the door into the next phase of corn genomics, namely
applying the information that we have gained to produce valuable corn
crops. The Maize Trait Development program is in the initial stages
of finding organizations that have discovered traits of interest to
our growers and partnering with them to bring these traits to market.
NCGA is in contract negotiations with an innovative St. Louis biotech
company, Divergence Incorporated. Divergence is developing traits that
will confer resistance to nematodes, an important pathogen of corn.
The USDA estimates that nematodes cause $80 billion in damage to crops
worldwide, with $1 billion in damage in corn alone. In addition, many
of the chemicals that farmers use to control nematodes are going to
be removed from the market, severely limiting the options available
for control of these important pathogens.
Divergence is just one of many innovative research organizations focusing
on improving the value of the corn crop. The NCGA Research and Business
Development Action Team is working to identify these companies and to
help them develop valuable traits for the corn industry.
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