Group says it has mapped corn genome

Scientists at universities and corporations are about to get a major leg up in their tireless - and profitable - effort to reinvent the corn plant.

A group of researchers led by Washington University in St. Louis have mapped out the corn plant's massive genome, and is posting the research on the Internet.

The project's leader said the sequence map is the holy grail for scientists trying to improve a crop that is traded globally for food, animal feed and fuel.

There is still some clean-up work left to be done to the corn genome sequence, though it is essentially completed, said Richard Wilson, director of Washington University's Genome Sequencing Center. The genome will be publicly announced Thursday at the 50th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in Washington D.C.

Corn production underpins much of the U.S. and global food supply, providing feed for livestock and ingredients for processed foods that run the gamut from wheat bread to soft drinks. A burgeoning demand for corn-based ethanol fuel has driven the price up, and put greater pressure on farmers to grow more corn per acre.

Agribusiness corporations like Monsanto Co. are tweaking the corn genome to increase the plant's productivity. Monsanto's Chief Technology Officer Robert Fraley said having access to the corn genome will push research forward by helping university researchers discover new corn traits. Companies like Monsanto will then be able to license those discoveries for new products, he said.

The sequence "is going to ultimately be one of the breakthroughs that contributes to drive corn yield in the future," Fraley said. ...

•	Group says it has mapped corn genome Associated Press, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 Byline: Christopher Leonard, Associated Press Writer

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