The Modern Legacy of a Very Old Maize Population and a Generation of Corn Breeders.

The Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic Maize population was formed in 1932 and 1933 by Dr. George Sprague. After more than 85 years on continuous selection and research, this population provides a compelling example of impact from continuous selection. Inbred lines derived from the Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic form the backbone of U.S. Maize production in the Stiff Stalk Heterotic group. The inbred line B73, derived from this population in 1973 may have been the most widely used inbred line in hybrid combinations in history. It became the first maize line to be sequenced and also forms the backbone of modern maize genomics research. The modern legacy of this population is the result of the pioneering work in continuous population improvement by Dr. George Sprague with this population beginning in the 1930s.