Corn along with wheat, rice, barley, oats, and sorghum is a member of the cerals. It is grown in the most diverse set of envirnoments of any cereal crop. Corn yields have increased substantially over the past 100 years, however, limitations on water availability will be an impediment to meeting the needs of a growing population in the future. In addition, solutions are needed to reduce the effects of insect and disease damage on corn quality and quantity towards reducing global hunger and malnutrition problems.

Corn originated in the tropics from a wild relative called teosinte. Although commercial hybrids don't look anything like teosinte, a relatively small number of genes separate the two plants. Corn breeders have improved maize for many years by selecting for favorable traits such as high yield, faster drying time, and improved stalk quality. These improvements came through selecting novel forms of genes that were already present in corn or by changing the timing and amount of the products from a gene (the gene's expression pattern).

The maize genome contains 2.5 x 109 bp of DNA. Researchers estimate it contains about 50,000 genes. Understanding how these genes are organized and what they do is key to rapid advances in crop quality and utilization. Sequencing the human genome accelerated the discovery of genes and subsequent therapies for numerous diseases. Likewise, the newly initiated maize genome sequencing project will provide similar advances to researchers worldwide.

In maize like in humans, an organelle (small piece of DNA that is not part of the chromosome) called the mitochondrion produces the molecules that provide energy for biochemical processes within the cell. The mitochrondrial genome in corn was recently sequenced. The sequence is providing further information about how this small piece of DNA contributes to a variety of plant processes including seed production and stress response.