A team of US scientists has discovered the complete genetic code of corn, a development that will speed up development of higher-yielding varieties of one of the world's most important grain crops. 

 

Some 32,000 DNA sequences in the 10 chromosomes that make up corn genome, have been identified. This corn genome project can help producers to face the challenges of growing more crops on less land with less water and poorer soil, said the researchers.

 

The discovery will make it easier to breed new corn varieties that produce higher yields or are more tolerant to extreme heat, drought or other conditions, said researcher Richard Wilson, director of Washington University's Genome Centre. 

 

Seed companies and corn geneticists can use this data to find their favourite genes, as they will now know exactly where those genes are, he said.

 

The US$29.5 million project began in 2005 and was funded by the National Science Foundation and the US departments of agriculture and energy.

 

The United Nations predicts that world food output must grow by 70 percent over the next four decades to feed a projected extra 2.3 billion people by 2050.

 

The US is the world's No.1 corn producer with 200 million tonnes a year, representing 44 percent of the world's output.

 

The genome projects aims "to provide a comprehensive foundation to systematically understand corn biology with the goal of breeding higher yielding, disease-resistant and drought-tolerant cultivars."