The soft chalky endosperm and other undesirable attributes associated with opaque-2 maize led CIMMYT to seek an alternate breeding strategy. The new research strategy involved the accmnulation and exploitation of genetic modffiers to circumvent obstacles inherent in the original opaque-2 maize materials. The quality protein laboratory played a key role in this strategy by providing rapid and timely analyses. The following paragraphs present a summary of work done, covering the period under report. The conversion of normal materials to quality protein maize involving 21 advanced unit populations, 12 tropical and 8 subtropical-temperate gene pools and three collaborative research populations was continued. The within-family sibbed or selfed ears, saved on the basis of across location -performance of families during 1978B, were recombined during 1979A to generate new full-sibs. These were evaluated during 1979B at two of the three locations, namely Poza Rica, Tlaltizapan and Ciudad Obregon. With in-family pollinations were made only at Poza Rica or Tlaltizapan to capitalize on variation within each family. The within-family sibbed ears saved from 1979B harvest were recombined during 1980A. The resulting full-sibs from the recombination process are being evaluated during 1980B. Attempt is being made to reduce the volume of materials by merging quality protein versions of advanced populations and the pools which have genetic similarily. Also, most of the quality protein versions of the special project populations have been merged to beco1ne part of the conversion program of either advanced unit or the gene pools.