James Holland

Bio

We are interested in understanding the nature of genetic variation within maize (field corn),Zea mays:

• How is genetic variation distributed among and within temperate inbred lines, temperate landraces, tropical inbred lines, and tropical accessions?
• Are there unique allelic variants in exotic, tropical maize that are absent from the U.S. breeding pool?
• Which genomic regions are associated with phenotypic variance for important agronomic traits (grain yield, flowering time, plant height, disease resistance)?
• How do allelic variations at different loci interact in their effects on phenotypes (is epistasis important, and how does it ramify from genic interactions to phenotypic interactions)?
• What are the most efficient breeding procedures for incorporating unique and favorable alleles from unadapted genetic backgrounds into well-adapted temperate lines?
• Can DNA marker-assisted selection aid us in this task?

In addition, we have a program to identify the genetic basis of resistance to corn ear rot caused by Fusarium fungal species and of resistance to the accumulation of the mycotoxin, fumonisin, caused by the fungus.

Publications

• Genomes to fields 2024 maize genotype by environment prediction competition , BMC Research Notes (2026)
• Inter-variety competition dynamics in US inbred and hybrid maize , bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2026)
• Screening strategies and heritability estimation for allelopathy in cereal rye ( Secale cereale L.) , Crop Science (2026)
• A maize near-isogenic line population designed for gene discovery and characterization of allelic effects , bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2025)
• A maize near‐isogenic line population designed for gene discovery and characterization of allelic effects , The Plant Journal (2025)
• Advanced backcross selection for resistance to Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination in maize , Crop Science (2025)
• Analysis of Ga2 genome structure and activity reveals widespread distribution of functional alleles in modern maize germplasm , G3 Genes Genomes Genetics (2025)
• GWAS and genomic prediction: Breeding strategies for maize stover digestibility , Journal of Agriculture and Food Research (2025)
• Gene-by-Environment Interaction Significantly Drives Bacterial Endophyte Communities in Maize Stalks , bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2025)
• Influence of Bt and environmental factors on Fusarium ear rot in maize , Crop Science (2025)