Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops in the world. It is the third most important food grain crop in the developing world and is estimated that the demand for maize in developing countries will grow by 50%, from 558 million tons in 1995 to 837 million tons in 2020. Much of this increased demand will be needed by domestic supply for developing countries, which will require inte...

Humans require more than 20 mineral elements for healthy body function. Calcium (Ca), one of the essential macromineral, is required in relatively large quantities in the diet for maintaining a sound overall health. Young children, pregnant and nursing women in marginalized and poorest regions of the world, are at highest risk of Ca malnutrition. Elderly population is another group of people mo...

Improvements in plant agricultural productivity are urgently needed to reduce the dependency on limited natural resources and produce enough food for a growing world population. Human intervention over thousands of years has improved the yield of important crops; however, it is increasingly difficult to find new targets for genetic improvement. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising targets for crop ...

Perennial grain production will likely present unique challenges for managing diseases that affect the productivity and longevity of crops being considered. Typical cultural practices effective at reducing soiland residue-borne pathogens, such as annual crop rotations, delayed fall planting, and tillage, are not feasible in perennial systems. Consequently, soiland residue-borne pathogens, and p...

1 Corn grain produced on fertile cropland is used for both human and livestock consumption. However, co-production of distiller’s grains notwithstanding, the use of corn grain and fertile cropland to produce fuel remains controversial, driving interest in cellulosic fuels generated from vegetative (non-grain) plant biomass (Biello, 2011; Wetzstein and Wetzstein, 2011; Bonin and Lal, 2012). Bioe...

Wilhelm, W.W., Hinze, M.R. and Gardner, C.O., 1991. Maize hybrid response to tillage under irrigated and dryland conditions. Field Crops Res., 26: 57-66. The popularity of reduced-tillage cropping systems has emphasized the need to determine if maize (Zea mays L.) developed under conventional tillage systems (moldboard plow, disk, and harrow) is readily adaptable to conservation production syst...