Maize developed from its ancestor, teosinte, about 10,000 years ago. The evolution has gone from teosinte with multiple tillers to single-tiller maize plants. An investigation took place to identify and sequence genes related to tillering ability in maize and perform In silico analysis. Mating proceeded by manual pollination between the commercial hybrid SC2031 of maize (Zea mays L.) and the teosinte genotype Domiata (Durra rayyana). The parents, F1 hybrids, and their F2 progenies gained evaluation for tillering ability. The SC2031 (low or no-tillers) exhibited fragments ranging from 75 to 420 bp. The fragment observed with 262 bp size was in the F1 and nine out of 10 low-tillering F2 progenies. The Domiata parent, a high-tillering variety, exhibited three fragments ranging from 82 to 534 bp. The fragment with 445 in size occurred in nine out of 10 high-tillering F2 progenies. The fragment of 262 bp, which may be responsible for the low tillering ability, and the fragment of 445 bp, for the high tillering ability, were eluted from the gel, sequenced, and submitted to GenBank. The predicted protein, T1-L, of the DNA sequence from the low-tillering parent has a molecular weight of 6.69 kD and pI of 6.53, belonging to the GRAS family, which plays an important role as transcriptional factors required for the adequate pattern of radial rooting and shooting. The predicted protein, T1-H, of the DNA sequence from the high-tillering parent has a molecular weight of 14.08 kD, and pI of 7.97, belonging to the TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1, CYCLOIDEA, PCF1 (TCP) family that plays an essential role as transcriptional factors required for apical dominance.
