2026 Plant Breeding Field Day Showcases Maize and Perennial Groundcover Research
AMES, Iowa — The 2026 Plant Breeding Field Day, held Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., brought together more than 35 students, faculty
and researchers to explore advances in maize and perennial groundcover research at Iowa State University. The event featured field demonstrations and presentations from the labs of Dr. Jode Edwards and Dr. Shuizhang Fei.
Following a welcome from Field Day Planning Committee Co-chair Ryanne Rinaldi, attendees began the morning in the maize nursery, where Dr. Edwards shared insights into maize breeding. He discussed his team’s efforts to calibrate and validate maize hybrid parameters for use in crop growth models to better reproduce genotype × environment interactions. Edwards also showcased historical and modern maize hybrids to highlight key morphological changes over time. The stop concluded with a demonstration of inbreds and hybrids from cycle zero to cycle 17 of reciprocal recurrent selection, accompanied by discussion of heterosis and hybrid breeding.
At the next stop, Dr. Fei and graduate students Cameron Krumm and Vipul Kumar highlighted their work on perennial groundcover systems (PGCs) through the RegenPGC project. Fei opened by discussing the benefits of cover crops in reducing erosion and nutrient loss, as well as the potential of PGCs to simplify cover cropping by requiring replanting only every few years and eliminating annual termination. Krumm then presented research evaluating the effects of different perennial groundcover species and chemical suppression methods on maize growth and yield. His work aims to inform recommendations for species suitable for breeding and production, as well as management strategies that maximize the system’s overall benefits. The visit concluded with Kumar’s presentation on his work with Poa secunda, a cool-season perennial grass being evaluated as a candidate for PGC systems.
The demonstrations were met with positive feedback from attendees, who appreciated the opportunity to see firsthand the research and innovation taking place at Iowa State.