Plant hybrids are extensively used in agriculture to deliver increases in yields, yet the molecular basis of their superior performance (heterosis) is not well understood. Our transcriptome analysis of a number of Arabidopsis F1 hybrids identified changes to defense and stress response gene expression consistent with a reduction in basal defense levels. Given the reported antagonism between pla...

We compared white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virctinianus) use of 15 field corn (Zea mays) hybrids grown in food plots near 3 deer wintering areas in southwestern Minnesota, 1987-88. Physical and morphological characteristics of corn varied significantly among sites, subplots and among hybrids. Deer use of hybrids was significantly different and 5 use groups of hybrids were identified. A significa...

DNA:RNA hybrids, nucleic acid structures with diverse physiological functions, can disrupt genome integrity when dysregulated. Human telomeres were shown to form hybrids with the lncRNA TERRA, yet the formation and distribution of these hybrids among telomeres, their regulation and their cellular effects remain elusive. Here we predict and confirm in several human cell types that DNA:RNA hybrid...

The potential benefit of drought-tolerant (DT) corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids may depend on drought intensity, duration, crop growth stage (timing), and the array of drought tolerance mechanisms present in selected hybrids. We hypothesized that corn hybrids containing DT traits would produce more consistent yields compared to non-DT hybrids in the presence of drought stress. The objective of this s...

While sexual selection is generally assumed to quickly cause or strengthen prezygotic barriers between sister species, its role in causing postzygotic isolation, through the unattractiveness of intermediate hybrids, is less often examined. Combining 24 years of pedigree data and recently developed species-specific molecular markers from collared (Ficedula albicollis) and pied (Ficedula hypoleuc...

in order to study drought tolerance indices and to introduce tolerant maize hybrids in drought conditions, an experiment was conducted at the experimental field of seed and plant improvement institute, in 2009. the experiment was carried out using split-plot in a randomized complete block design (crbd) with three replications. the main plots consisted of three levels of irrigation regimes (irri...

Comparing different methods of estimating the genetic diversity could define their usefulness in plant breeding programs. In this study, a total of 18 morphological traits and 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were used to study the morphological and genetic diversity among 20 maize hybrids selected from different countries, and to classify the hybrids into groups based on molecular profiles...