Maize Inbred PH25KR Breeding for Uniformity and Stress Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current maize breeding techniques face challenges in combining desirable traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and uniformity, which are essential for efficient crop production and mechanical harvesting.

Innovation Solution

Development of a novel maize variety, PH25KR, through a breeding process involving crossing, backcrossing, and locus conversion to introduce specific traits, resulting in a maize line that is homozygous and can be used to produce hybrid seeds with improved agronomic characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional plant breeding is used to combine desirable traits, then disease resistance and drought tolerance can be achieved, but uniformity of plant characteristics deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisease resistanceVSAvoiduniformity of plant characteristics

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The breeding program segments the combination of desirable traits by using backcrossing to individually introgress specific disease resistance and drought tolerance genes into the PH25KR genetic background, maintaining uniformity while accumulating multiple traits

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The PH25KR inbred line serves as a replicated copy of the optimal genetic background, allowing consistent propagation of uniform plant characteristics across multiple breeding cycles and hybrid productions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If multiple desirable traits are combined in a single variety, then yield and stress resistance improve, but the complexity of the breeding process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveyieldVSAvoidbreeding process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The PH25KR inbred line was developed in advance with a stable, uniform genetic background before introducing specific trait genes, simplifying subsequent breeding operations by providing a pre-tested foundation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The breeding process discards unwanted genetic variation through repeated backcrossing and selection, recovering only the desired trait genes while eliminating complexity from the genetic background

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Ease of operation

If uniformity of plant characteristics is improved for mechanical harvesting, then ease of harvest increases, but genetic diversity for trait combination decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of mechanical harvestingVSAvoidgenetic diversity for trait combination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The PH25KR variety achieves local quality uniformity in plant height and maturity for mechanical harvesting compatibility, while maintaining genetic diversity at specific loci for disease resistance and drought tolerance traits through targeted backcrossing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9681622B1Maize inbred PH25KR

Publication Date: 2017.06.20 PIONEER HI BREED INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A novel maize variety designated PH25KR and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PH25KR with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH25KR through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PH25KR or a locus conversion of PH25KR with another maize variety.