Physiological Bases for Maize Improvement

Gustavo A Slafer, Maria E Otegui

• Contents About the Editors , Contributors , Preface , Chapter 1. Is There a Niche for Physiology in Future Genetic Improvement of Maize Yields? , Worldwide Importance of Maize , Trends in Population Growth and Maize Yields , Genetic Contributions to Gains in Maize Yields , A Niche for Crop Physiology in Maize Breeding , Concluding Remarks , Chapter 2. Improving Maize Grain Yield Potential in a Cool Environment , Introduction , Resource Capture and Utilization , Stress Tolerance and Stand Uniformity , Conclusions , Chapter 3. Processes Affecting Maize Grain Yield Potential in Temperate Conditions , Introduction , Setting Number of Seeds per Ear , Importance of Stored Carbohydrate for Yield Production with Late-Season Stress , Mechanisms of Seed Weight Determination in Maize , Conclusions , Chapter 4. Improving Maize Grain Yield Potential in the Tropics , Determinants of Potential Yield , Benchmarking Maize Yield Potential , Opportunities for Improvement in Maize Grain Yield Potential , Conclusions , Chapter 5. Factors Affecting Kernel Number in Maize , Introduction , Critical Period for Kernel Number Determination , The Relationship Between Kernel Number and Plant Growth Rate , Nitrogen and Water , Duration of the Critical Period for Kernel Set , Other Factors Affecting Kernel Set , Conclusions , Chapter 6. Maize Improvement for Drought-Limited Environments , Introduction , The Target Environment , Conceptual Framework , Drought Stress and Stages of Growth , Earliness, Yield Potential, and the Selection Environment , The Use of Drought-Adaptive Secondary Traits in Breeding , Selection in Elite Tropical Germplasm for Tolerance to Drou