Maize Inbred PH2STB Breeding for Disease Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

The development of new maize varieties and hybrids is a time-consuming process, taking six to twelve years, and existing technologies face challenges in combining desirable traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and high yield in a stable and agronomically sound manner.

Innovation Solution

The introduction of the novel maize variety PH2STB, which involves crossing with other maize plants to introduce traits like male sterility, disease resistance, and improved agronomic characteristics through backcross conversion, genetic manipulation, and transformation, along with specific cultivation processes to ensure genetic homogeneity and hybrid vigor.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional maize breeding processes are used to combine desirable traits, then stable and agronomically sound varieties are achieved, but the development time becomes excessively long (six to twelve years)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestability of varietyVSAvoidbreeding development time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-selecting and characterizing inbred line PH2STB with specific desirable traits (disease resistance, drought tolerance, yield potential) before hybrid development. This preliminary characterization allows breeders to start hybrid programs with a pre-validated parent, reducing the time needed for subsequent trait validation and variety stabilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple desirable traits are combined in a single variety, then agronomic performance and resistance are improved, but the complexity of the breeding process increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveagronomic performanceVSAvoidbreeding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple desirable traits into inbred line PH2STB through systematic breeding, combining disease resistance, drought tolerance, and yield potential into a single unified genetic background. This consolidation allows the traits to work synergistically in hybrid combinations, simplifying the overall breeding process by having a pre-integrated multi-trait parent rather than needing to combine separate single-trait lines.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Inbred line PH2STB serves as a universal parent with multi-functional capabilities, providing disease resistance, drought tolerance, and yield contribution across multiple hybrid combinations. This multi-functionality reduces breeding complexity by allowing a single inbred line to be used in various crossing programs targeting different trait combinations, rather than requiring specialized single-trait parent lines for each breeding objective.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If inbred line PH2STB is used as a parent in hybrid development, then yield and resistance traits are improved, but the requirement for genetic homogeneity and male sterility management increases process steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid yieldVSAvoidseed production process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces male sterility systems (cytoplasmic or genetic) as an intermediary mechanism to control self-pollination and ensure cross-pollination in hybrid seed production. This intermediary system automates the emasculation function that would otherwise require manual intervention, simplifying the overall process by providing a biological mechanism that enforces outcrossing without requiring complex manual management of genetic homogeneity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11439109B1Maize inbred PH2STB
Publication Date: 2022.09.13 PIONEER HI BREED INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A novel maize variety designated PH2STB and seed, plants and plant parts thereof are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant comprise crossing maize variety PH2STB with another maize plant are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH2STB through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby are provided. Hybrid maize seed, plants or plant parts are produced by crossing the variety PH2STB or a locus conversion of PH2STB with another maize variety.