Zea mays ontology – a database of international terms

Abstract

Data retrieval, comprehension and sharing within and between plant-based databases are essential to exploit comparative genomic information to elucidate functional aspects of plant biology and to conduct studies of synteny and homology. However, the functionality is often hampered by the variability of terms used to describe comparable objects. The Zea mays Plant Structure Ontology database is designed to overcome this problem via the provision of a controlled vocabulary that facilitates knowledge sharing. It comprises international botanical terms, references, synonyms, and phylogenetic information and is open-source.