From Data Mining to Pleiotropic Effects, Environmental Interactions, and Phenomic Predictions of Natural Genetic Variants in Sorghum and Maize

Crop yield hinges on genotype variation, environmental responses, and genotype x environment interactions. Understanding links between plant traits and yield across diverse environments is crucial for predicting performance. Leveraging plant quantitative genetics, we compile data from a maize super-panel, 1,118 accessions, with 100+ traits and 17M genetic markers using community association populations. This offers insights into genetic correlations, pleiotropy, and the genetic control of genotype-environment interplay. Similar approaches in other crops hold potential for new discoveries to enhance breeding and commercial gains.