A US research team has developed experimental lines of high-methionine field corn, which holds promise for creating new commercial hybrids. This is particularly beneficial for organic poultry producers who need this substance for healthy growth and meat and egg production. Methionine plays a vital role in protein synthesis and body function, but it is scarce in commercial corn hybrids. To overcome this limitation, the team used conventional breeding methods to create 16 corn lines with methionine levels comparable to or higher than B101, a reference hybrid. Furthermore, some of these lines also showed genetic diversity in several agronomic traits in field tests. Genetic engineering, although an option, is not viable in organic systems. Therefore, this advancement is a promising solution to improve the quality of corn used in animal feed. “It will be important to test these strains in hybrid combinations and in different environments to understand how stable the trait is and what ...
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