European and American maize: same same, but different

German researchers now succeeded in decoding the European maize genome. (Photo: K. Baumeister / TUM) Adapting maize plants to climate change - German researchers decoded the European maize genome. In comparison to North American maize lines, they discovered differences. For cultivation of maize in areas with low yields and for challenges imposed by the climate change these observations of the research team led by Klaus F.X. Mayer, head of the research group "Plant Genome and Systems Biology" at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Chris-Carolin Schön, Professor for Plant Breeding at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) might be of particular interest. The maize genome tells an intriguing story about domestication and the shaping of the genome by human selection. Around 10,000 years ago, first nation people started to domesticate maize in what is Mexico today. They created the basis for one of today's most important sources of food for both humans and livestock.