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East, Emerson, and the Birth of Maize Genetics

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After the rediscovery of Mendel's work, acceptance and incorporation of the principles of heredity was natural to those whose interests were in agricultural advance. This chapter examines the circumstances and opportunities in which maize genetics research was founded, its role in establishing and spreading genetics widely, and its influence on cooperative sharing of information and data among investigators. Two scientists, E. M. East and R. A. Emerson, were largely responsible for the development of maize as a pivotal species in genetics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Missouri, Plant Sciences Unit, Missouri

    Ed Coe

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  1. Ed Coe
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Correspondence to Ed Coe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602–7223, USA

    Jeffrey L. Bennetzen

  2. USDA Plant Gene Expression Center, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, CA, 94710, USA

    Sarah Hake

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Coe, E. (2009). East, Emerson, and the Birth of Maize Genetics. In: Bennetzen, J.L., Hake, S. (eds) Handbook of Maize. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77863-1_1

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