b'regulation are changing how we can control weeds. So the envi-ronment of a Nebraska, Iowa or Minnesota farmers field in 2030 will be different than 2024.Analyzing plants DNA reveals what traits are available to the corn plant, but it does not reveal to what extent those traits are expressed. It is the RNA that is responsible for expression of the genes that are present in the DNA.Schnable and his team are looking at the RNA expression ofWe were able to generategenes in corn hybrids that are grown in various locations across the country.a data set unlike anythingUnderstanding which genes are expressed by the same corn hybrids in different environmental conditions allows us toelse in the world. make more informed decisions, Schnable explains. By focusingJames Schnableon RNA, we can get a clearer picture of how plants respond to dynamic changes in their environment.While DNA provides the blueprint, RNA serves as the interme-diary that translates this blueprint into action. Unlike DNA, which never changes, RNA changes rapidly in the cell based on the conditions and what the plant needs at a given time which cre-ates challenges when trying to measure RNA across hundreds or thousands of corn plants. Schnables team works to collect all the RNA samples from individual experiments, sometimes as many as 2,500, in less than two hours.OCTOBER 2024SEEDWORLD.COM /37'