Hybrid Corn Pollination Control for Genetic Purity and Yield

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing corn breeding techniques struggle to develop hybrids with uniformity and desirable traits such as yield, disease resistance, and drought tolerance, while maintaining genetic stability and efficiency in cross-pollination processes.

Innovation Solution

The development of the hybrid corn variety CH010493, which incorporates cytoplasmic or nuclear factors for male sterility, genetic modifications for traits like herbicide resistance and disease resistance, and a method for controlled cross-pollination using emasculation and bagging techniques to ensure hybrid purity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If traditional breeding methods are used to develop corn hybrids, then genetic diversity is maintained, but uniformity and precision of desirable traits are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of desirable traitsVSAvoidbreeding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs male sterility systems (cytoplasmic male sterility and nuclear male sterility) as intermediaries to control pollination and ensure precise hybrid production. This mediator mechanism eliminates self-pollination and guarantees cross-pollination between specific parental lines, achieving uniformity of desirable traits while managing breeding process complexity through standardized sterility control protocols

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If self-pollination is allowed in corn breeding, then genetic stability is maintained, but hybrid vigor and yield improvement are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid yieldVSAvoidpollination control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the self-pollination capability from the breeding system by introducing male sterility factors (both cytoplasmic and nuclear types). This extraction of the self-pollination function forces the system to rely exclusively on controlled cross-pollination, thereby achieving hybrid vigor and yield improvement while the complexity of pollination control is managed through the inherent sterility mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple breeding populations are maintained for trait selection, then genetic diversity is improved, but time and resource efficiency are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegenetic diversityVSAvoidbreeding cycle time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing male sterile parental lines with predetermined genetic characteristics before the hybridization process. This preliminary preparation of sterile lines with specific traits (disease resistance, yield characteristics, etc.) allows for efficient controlled crossing without maintaining multiple breeding populations during the actual hybrid production, thereby preserving genetic diversity while reducing breeding cycle time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12616133B2Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH010493
Publication Date: 2026.05.05 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

According to the disclosure, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH010493. The disclosure thus relates to the plants, seeds, and tissue cultures of the variety CH010493, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH010493 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The disclosure further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH010493.