Abstract:

This paper describes decades of research developing a new type of corn (maize) cultivar that utilizes partnerships with seed-borne, bacterial endophytes to create environmentally friendly, nutritious corn that is better adapted to organic farming.Over time the project engaged and formed multiple, evolving networks of corn breeders and other scientists, organic farmers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),private companies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), andstate agricultural univer-sities in severalstates.It addressed and partly resolved the need fordeveloping(a) yield-competi-tive hybrids with greater nutrient density (methio-nine and minerals), (b) better adapted inbredsfor organic production conditions, and (c) reduced pollutionfromnitrogen fertilizers.