The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) has awarded a $2,044,214 grant to Iowa State University to evaluate how maize breeding, field management and the environment affect sustainable maize production. In addition, Iowa State University and Bayer Crop Science have provided a matching amount, bringing the total investment in the project to $4,089,857. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, the Leopold Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Purdue University are also supporting the project.

Iowa State University researchers will examine hybrid maize characteristics to analyse yield trends in the US corn belt. Over the course of three years, researchers will collect data from 40 locations per year, covering a range of environments and production situations across the corn belt. Using advanced analytics, including simulation modelling and machine learning, researchers will evaluate plant, root, grain and resource use efficiency traits. This will help determine the impact of plant breeding on sustainability and rank the importance of different plant traits concerning production and sustainability. It is hoped this research may help predict future yield trends and environmental outcomes under a range of scenarios, including changes in weather, management and genetics.