Improving suboptimal temperature tolerance in maize - The search for variation

Temperature is the primary determining factor for the productivity of maize hybrids (both grain and silage), grown in cool climates such as the northern USA, Canada and northern Europe, Considerable genetic variation exists for several of the component traits controlling tolerance/sensitivity. Furthermore, gene delivery and deployment technologies such as transformation and marker assisted selection are becoming routine tools in commercial plant breeding programmes, This paper will introduce some of the approaches being taken to identify specific genes involved in conferring tolerance to suboptimal temperatures, and the complexities involved in engineering a tolerance package which will result in improved field performance.