Corn was domesticated from its ancestor teosinte in central Mexico beginning about 9,000 years ago by humans selectively breeding the wild plant, transforming its small, hard-shelled kernels into the ...

For centuries, corn growers have focused almost entirely on what happens above ground in terms of plant health and yield. Today, scientists like Jim Schwartz are looking below ground – in the root ...

Last fall, a number of farmers in central Illinois told Ken Ferrie they were thinking about shifting acres to corn on corn for 2025, because the crop penciled out better than soybeans. Back then, only ...

For decades, his research group in the College of Agricultural Sciences has been uncovering how roots play a critical role in plant development and survival. "Corn is no exception, and it turns out ...

Plant and Soil, Vol. 199, No. 2 (February (II) 1998), pp. 187-194 (8 pages) Proper management of water and fertilizer placement in irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) has the potential to reduce nitrate ...

This figure from the paper shows the evolution of root types from teosinte to modern corn over the last 10 000 years, simulated using the modeling program OpenSimRoot, which was developed by ...