Infection Index Method for Reniform Nematode Quantification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for quantifying plant pathogens, such as reniform and root knot nematodes, in soil samples are inefficient and inaccurate, often requiring complete removal of plants and being confounded by dead or inactive nematodes, which complicates disease management and breeding efforts.
Innovation Solution
The Infection Index Method compares the amount of DNA specific to target organisms using PCR amplification to quantify their presence relative to the total DNA in soil samples, allowing for non-destructive monitoring of nematode infestation and resistance in cotton plants, and utilizes SNP markers for molecular assisted breeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional methods are used to quantify plant pathogens in soil samples, then complete removal of plants is required, but this causes destruction of the plant and complicates disease management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary information (pathogen DNA) from the soil sample using molecular techniques, rather than removing the entire plant. This allows pathogen quantification while leaving the plant intact for continued management and study.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical destruction (plant removal) with molecular detection (DNA extraction and qPCR). This substitution enables non-destructive pathogen quantification by detecting genetic material in the rhizosphere soil without physically damaging the plant.
2Productivity
If traditional quantification methods are used, then dead or inactive nematodes complicate the results, but this reduces measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent detects DNA copies of the pathogen rather than requiring detection of intact, active organisms. Since DNA persists after organism death, this approach quantifies both active and inactive pathogen stages, providing a more complete picture of infestation risk without the complexity of distinguishing between live and dead organisms.
3Measurement precision
If detailed phenotyping processes are used to assess plant resistance, then accurate resistance data is obtained, but this increases time and resource requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary pathogen quantification in the rhizosphere soil before detailed phenotyping is required. By establishing baseline infestation levels through qPCR, breeders can make preliminary selection decisions and design more targeted, efficient phenotyping experiments, reducing overall time and resource requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides a rapid, accurate, and high-throughput approach to assess nematode infestation and resistance, enabling better disease management, breeding decisions, and resource allocation, while reducing the need for laborious phenotyping processes.
Implementation Method 1
quantifying the amount of target organism in the sample by comparing the amount of DNA detected with a sequence specific to a target organism to the total amount of DNA detected in the sample of matter
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is in the field of plant breeding and disease resistance. More specifically, the invention includes methods for assaying a location to determine the amount of pest infestation, or assaying a plant for its ability to resist infection, and using this information to make agronomic treatment and/or breeding decisions. The invention also provides methods for breeding cotton plants containing one or more quantitative trait loci that are associated with resistance to reniform nematode infection. The invention further includes germplasm and the use of germplasm containing quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring reniform resistance as a source of reniform resistant alleles for introgression into elite germplasm in a breeding program, thus producing novel elite germplasm comprising one or more reniform resistance loci.