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

• Analysis of Ga2 genome structure and activity reveals widespread distribution of functional alleles in modern maize germplasm , G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics (2025)
• Not so local: the population genetics of convergent adaptation in maize and teosinte , (2025)
• Oaxacan Green Dent maize is not from Oaxaca , Crop Science (2025)
• The population genetics of convergent adaptation in maize and teosinte is not locally restricted , ELIFE (2023)
• Don't BLUP Twice , G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS (2024)
• Global Genotype by Environment Prediction Competition Reveals That Diverse Modeling Strategies Can Deliver Satisfactory Maize Yield Estimates , (2024)
• Global genotype by environment prediction competition reveals that diverse modeling strategies can deliver satisfactory maize yield estimates , GENETICS (2024)
• Impact of genotype x environment interaction and selection history on genomic prediction in maize (Zea mays L.) , CROP SCIENCE (2024)
• Phenotypic characterization of Southeastern United States open-pollinated maize landraces , CROP SCIENCE (2024)
• Prediction of resistance, virulence, and host-by-pathogen interactions using dual-genome prediction models , THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS (2024)