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Shining Some Light on the Sunflower

by Randolph Fillmore

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Intro   |   A Widely Popular Crop   |   Escaping to the Wild   |   Potential Fixes   |  
Fruits of Further Study

Sunflower Facts

 

 

Intro

By identifying the genes that distinguish the domestic varieties of this commercially important plant from its wild cousins, a UGA researcher strives to improve its agricultural traits.

The domesticated sunflower Helianthus annuus, with its golden face and stately height, is the passion of UGA plant biologist John M. Burke, who is seeking clues about the evolution of wild and domesticated varieties. In particular, he and his colleagues aim to discover which genes were influenced by ancient Native American “genetic engineers” in their efforts to make the plants more productive and easier to work with.

Domesticating the wild varieties of corn, beans and rice involved a relatively small number of genes, Burke said, perhaps as few as five in the case of corn. But wild and domesticated sunflowers differ from each other by a much larger number of genes, each with a more subtle effect.

Thus “although the sunflower is one of the world’s most important oilseed crops, we don’t have a full understanding of the genetic basis of its domestication,” said Burke. “As we identify the molecular markers associated with desirable traits in the sunflower, and ultimately the underlying genes, our research will have a positive impact on its continued improvement as a crop plant” in terms of properties such as seed dispersal, flowering time, plant yield and nutritional value. His work is being funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Intro   |   A Widely Popular Crop   |   Escaping to the Wild   |   Potential Fixes   |  
Fruits of Further Study

EMAIL THIS     PRINTABLE VERSION


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