Towards an Application of Crop Growth Models with Genomewide Prediction to Enhance Selection Response for Maize Drought Tolerance.

Sustainable use of water resources in agriculture is of global importance. For the US corn-belt, breeding maize for improved drought tolerance is one component of an integrated approach that has contributed to higher levels of agricultural productivity. Further improvement of maize drought tolerance for the US corn-belt is an important breeding objective. The complexity of the genetic and environmental underpinnings of drought tolerance provides a relevant case study to evaluate new approaches to improve rates of genetic improvement for a complex breeding objective. Building on the methodologies that enabled delivery of the AQUAmax® drought tolerant maize products we examine the potential for combining crop growth models with genomewide prediction methodology to further enhance rates of response to selection for drought tolerance of maize for the US corn-belt.