Hybrid Corn CH901351 Breeding via Cytoplasmic Male Sterility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current corn breeding techniques face challenges in developing hybrid varieties that combine desirable traits such as high yield, disease resistance, and uniformity, while maintaining genetic stability and avoiding self-pollination, which limits the efficiency of hybrid seed production.

Innovation Solution

The development of the hybrid corn variety CH901351, which incorporates genetic modifications and cytoplasmic male sterility to prevent self-pollination, along with tissue culture methods for regenerating plants with specific traits like herbicide resistance and improved agronomic characteristics, enables efficient hybrid seed production and stabilization of desirable traits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional self-pollination breeding methods are used, then genetic uniformity can be achieved, but self-pollination limits hybrid seed production efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid seed production efficiencyVSAvoidgenetic uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the self-pollination capability from the corn plant by introducing cytoplasmic male sterility factors (such as cms-D, cms-1, or cms-T) that prevent pollen formation. This allows the female parent to be completely dependent on cross-pollination, thereby eliminating self-pollination interference and improving hybrid seed production efficiency while maintaining genetic uniformity through controlled crossing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces restorer genes (Rf1, Rf2, Rf3, Rf4, Rf5, or Rf6) as intermediary genetic elements that can restore male fertility when present. These restorer genes act as mediators between the cytoplasmic male sterility factor and the nuclear genome, allowing breeders to control pollination behavior precisely - the hybrid seed production system uses sterile cytoplasm, while restorer genes can be introduced in specific crosses to restore fertility where needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple desirable traits are combined in hybrid development, then agronomic quality improves, but breeding complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveagronomic qualityVSAvoidbreeding program complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates universal inbred lines with sterile cytoplasm that can serve multiple functions in different hybrid combinations. A single inbred line with cms cytoplasm can be crossed with multiple different male parents to produce various hybrids, each potentially expressing different combinations of desirable traits. This multi-functionality reduces breeding program complexity by reusing the same female parent across multiple hybrid developments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the genetic parameters of the breeding program by using cytoplasmic male sterility systems, which simplify the breeding process compared to traditional methods. The sterile cytoplasm parameter eliminates the need for manual emasculation and self-pollination control, allowing automated or natural cross-pollination processes to proceed efficiently while breeders focus on selecting for multiple desirable agronomic traits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If cytoplasmic male sterility is introduced to prevent self-pollination, then hybrid seed production efficiency increases, but genetic stability requirements become more stringent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid seed production efficiencyVSAvoidgenetic stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism through restorer genes that can counteract cytoplasmic male sterility when present in the nuclear genome. This creates a controllable system where the expression of male sterility (and thus hybrid seed production efficiency) can be regulated - the sterile cytoplasm ensures high hybrid seed production efficiency in the absence of restorer genes, while the presence of restorer genes provides feedback to restore fertility when genetic stability needs to be maintained in subsequent generations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10455787B1Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH901351
Publication Date: 2019.10.29 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH901351. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH901351, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH901351 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH901351.