Maize Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 9-17 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 14 Figure 2 Gene ontology (GO) enriched terms associated with diferentially genes expressed (DEGs) in starch content (Ruanjaichon et al., 2021) 4.2 Challenges of data integration and cross-population verification The success of GWAS relies heavily on large-scale and high-quality genetic and phenotypic data. However, there may be differences in the sample populations, phenotypic evaluation methods, and genotype platforms used in different studies, and these differences increase the difficulty of data integration. In addition, the genetic markers discovered by GWAS may have different effects in maize populations with different genetic backgrounds, and cross-population verification in multiple populations is required to ensure that the discovered markers have universal applicability. This process requires a lot of resources and energy and is a major challenge in applying GWAS results to actual breeding. 4.3 How technological progress can overcome existing challenges In recent years, the rapid development of biotechnology has provided new solutions to overcome challenges in GWAS applications. High-throughput sequencing technology makes large-scale genome sequencing more cost-effective and provides the possibility to collect high-quality genetic data. Advances in these technologies not only accelerate the process of GWAS research, but also provide a more unified genomic reference for data integration. In addition, the emergence of CRISPR gene editing technology provides a powerful tool for functional verification and direct utilization of genetic resources discovered by GWAS. Through CRISPR technology, specific sites in the corn genome can be precisely edited, its impact on traits can be directly verified, and this knowledge can be applied in breeding to achieve precise improvement of specific traits. In short, the application of GWAS in corn quality improvement has shown great potential and value (Guan et al., 2016). Although there are challenges in data integration, cross-population validation, and application of research results to practical breeding, these challenges are gradually being overcome as biotechnology continues to advance. In the future, GWAS combined with advanced technologies such as high-throughput sequencing and CRISPR gene editing will further promote the precision and efficiency of corn breeding. This not only means that new corn varieties with high yield, high resistance, high nutrition and other characteristics can be bred more quickly, but will also greatly promote the sustainable development of the corn industry and global food security.
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