In this objective we are constructing genetic and metabolic network models for surface lipid accumulation on maize silks using a premier genetic resource in maize, a series of intermated B73xMo17 (IBM) mapping populations. These populations consist of 660 individual isolines, each of which carry a unique set of highly mosaic chromosomes derived from recombining the B73 and Mo17 genomes. The genetic factors controlling quantitative traits (termed QTLs) can be precisely mapped in these populations, which we have shown to exhibit a dynamic range of surface lipid metabolomes. We are employing a unique combination of metabolite analyses across this large set of maize IBM genotypes and along the length of the silk to determine and model the surface lipid reaction network.