The paper develops a maize MAGIC population to dissect grain yield and proxy traits under stress, identifying QTL and improving genomic prediction models.

Theoretical and Applied Genetics · Sep 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Genetic analysis of maize seedling root traits under chilling highlights their importance for early field development

Fabio Guffanti, KERSTIN A. NAGEL, Anna Galinski, Carmen Müller, Shree R. Pariyar, Daniela Scheuermann, Claude Urbany, Thomas Presterl, Milena Ouzunova, Chris‐Carolin Schön

This study identifies QTL for maize seedling root traits under chilling conditions that influence early plant development in the field.

bioRxiv · Jun 14, 2026 · PreprintGenetics

Genetic architecture and functional consequences of lateral root length in maize (Zea mays L.)

Fabio Guffanti, Daniela Scheuermann, Claude Urbany, Stefan Reuscher, Thomas Presterl, Milena Ouzunova, Silvio Salvi, Caroline Callot, Chris‐Carolin Schön

The paper identifies QTL for lateral root length in maize across developmental stages and examines their correlation with biomass under different nutrient conditions.

Journal of Experimental Botany · Mar 11, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Structural variation at lhcb6 underlies genetic variation in photosystem II maximum quantum efficiency in maize

Sebastian Urzinger, Lukas Würstl, Viktoriya Avramova, Claude Urbany, Daniela Scheuermann, Thomas Presterl, Stefan Reuscher, Manfred Mayer, Sarah Brajkovic, Milena Ouzunova, Bernardo Ordás, Peter Westhoff, Chris‐Carolin Schön

The paper identifies a structural variation in lhcb6 in maize landraces that affects photosystem II maximum quantum efficiency through differential accumulation of LHCII antenna components.

bioRxiv · Sep 16, 2025 · PreprintGenetics

Embracing native diversity to enhance maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II in maize (Zea mays L.)

Sebastian Urzinger, Viktoriya Avramova, Monika Frey, Claude Urbany, Daniela Scheuermann, Thomas Presterl, Stefan Reuscher, Karin Ernst, Manfred Mayer, Caroline Marcon, Frank Hochholdinger, Sarah Brajkovic, Bernardo Ordás, Peter Westhoff, Milena Ouzunova, Chris‐Carolin Schön

The paper identifies a rare allele of ndhm1 in maize that improves cold tolerance and photosynthetic efficiency through NDH-mediated cyclic electron transport.

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · Dec 23, 2024Peer-reviewedPlant Biology

European maize genomes unveil pan-genomic dynamics of repeats and genes

Georg Haberer, Nadia M. Kamal, Eva Bauer, Heidrun Gundlach, Iris Fischer, Michael A. Seidel, M. Spannagl, Caroline Marcon, Alevtina S. Ruban, Claude Urbany, Adnane Nemri, Frank Hochholdinger, Milena Ouzunova, Andreas Houben, Chris‐Carolin Schön, Klaus Mayer

The paper reports high-quality genome sequences of European flint maize lines and analyzes genomic dynamics between European and US maize germplasm.

Nature Genetics · Jul 27, 2020Peer-reviewedGenomics