Hybrid Corn Variety with CMS for Uniform Seed Production

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing corn breeding techniques struggle to develop hybrids with uniformity and stability, incorporating desirable traits such as yield, disease resistance, and drought tolerance, while maintaining efficient hybrid production methods.

Innovation Solution

The development of the hybrid corn variety CH010470, which includes genetic modifications for traits like male sterility, herbicide resistance, and disease resistance, achieved through methods like backcrossing and genetic transformation, ensuring uniformity and stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional breeding methods are used to develop corn hybrids, then uniformity and stability can be achieved, but the process is time-consuming and productivity is low

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity and stabilityVSAvoidhybrid production efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs preliminary action by using cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems to pre-establish controlled pollination capabilities before hybrid production. The CMS trait is introgressed into parental lines through backcrossing, creating inbred lines that cannot self-pollinate, thereby ensuring 100% cross-pollination efficiency when planted in appropriate configurations. This preliminary genetic modification eliminates the need for manual detasseling and ensures uniform hybrid production.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If multiple desirable traits are incorporated into corn hybrids, then yield and resistance improve, but breeding complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease resistance and yieldVSAvoidbreeding program complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple desirable traits including cytoplasmic male sterility, herbicide resistance, and disease resistance into unified parental inbred lines through systematic backcrossing programs. The CMS trait is combined with specific resistance genes (e.g., for northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot) and herbicide tolerance traits in the same genetic background. This consolidation allows single-cross hybrids to express multiple traits simultaneously while simplifying field production protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by introducing specific resistance genes at particular loci within the corn genome while maintaining the overall genetic uniformity of the inbred lines. Each resistance trait (e.g., Tc1 for northern corn leaf blight, TG1 for gray leaf spot) is incorporated at its specific chromosomal location through targeted backcrossing and selection, allowing precise control over trait expression without disrupting other desirable characteristics of the parental lines.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If self-pollination is prevented to ensure hybrid production, then cross-pollination efficiency improves, but additional genetic mechanisms are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecross-pollination efficiencyVSAvoidgenetic control mechanisms
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by utilizing cytoplasmic male sterility to enable the female parental lines to automatically prevent their own self-pollination. The CMS trait, inherited through the mitochondrial genome, causes complete sterility of pollen in the female parent, eliminating the need for manual detasseling operations. When male-fertile restorer lines are planted alongside the CMS female lines, the restorer genes in the male parent automatically restore fertility in the hybrid progeny, ensuring continuous production of uniform F1 hybrids without additional intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12495756B2Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH010470
Publication Date: 2025.12.16 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

According to the disclosure, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH010470. The disclosure thus relates to the plants, seeds, and tissue cultures of the variety CH010470, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH010470 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 CH010470.