Hybrid Corn Breeding for Uniform Traits and Controlled Pollination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing corn breeding techniques struggle to develop hybrids with uniformity and desirable traits such as higher yield, disease resistance, and improved agronomic qualities, while maintaining genetic stability and commercial viability.

Innovation Solution

The development of the hybrid corn variety CH010370, which incorporates cytoplasmic and nuclear factors for male sterility, genetic modifications for traits like herbicide resistance, and a method for controlled cross-pollination using emasculation and bagging techniques, along with genetic editing using engineered nucleases to introduce specific alleles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If traditional breeding methods are used to develop corn hybrids, then genetic diversity can be maintained, but uniformity and consistency of desirable traits across the hybrid population are difficult to achieve

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

Solution Approach 1:

The breeding process is segmented into distinct phases: developing homozygous inbred parental lines through self-pollination, then crossing these standardized parents to produce uniform F1 hybrids. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, ensuring trait uniformity in the final hybrid population.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Homozygous inbred parental lines are developed and standardized before the hybrid crossing stage. This preliminary action ensures that both parents have fixed, uniform genotypes, which guarantees uniformity in the resulting F1 hybrid progeny while simplifying the crossing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If self-pollination is used to develop homozygous inbred lines, then genetic stability is achieved, but the time required to develop pure lines increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegenetic stability of inbred linesVSAvoidtime to develop inbred lines
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Self-pollination is applied periodically over multiple generations to progressively increase homozygosity. This periodic application of selfing allows genetic stability to be achieved systematically, with each generation bringing the population closer to complete homozygosity without requiring excessive time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Adaptability or versatility

If cross-pollination is used to produce hybrid seeds, then desirable traits from multiple parents are combined, but controlling the cross-pollination process becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombination of parental traitsVSAvoidcontrol of pollination process
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The natural pollination process is extracted and replaced with controlled manual pollination. Pollen is collected from the male parent and manually applied to the female parent's silks, eliminating uncontrolled natural pollination and ensuring precise parental control while maintaining the benefits of cross-pollination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Manual intervention acts as an intermediary between the male and female parents during pollination. The breeder collects pollen and applies it to the female flowers, mediating the cross-pollination process to ensure desired parental combinations while simplifying control compared to relying on natural wind pollination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If extensive breeding programs are implemented to develop superior inbred plants, then hybrid performance can be improved, but the complexity and resource requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid yield performanceVSAvoidbreeding program complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inbred lines are developed through self-pollination, allowing each line to serve itself and become genetically standardized without requiring continuous external intervention. Once homozygous lines are established, they can be stored and reused indefinitely as parental stocks, reducing ongoing breeding program complexity while maintaining high hybrid performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12484510B2Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH010370
Publication Date: 2025.12.02 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH010370. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH010370, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH010370 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 CH010370.