Maize Inbred PH48MB Breeding for Disease Resistance and Yield

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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 PH48MB, which involves crossing with another maize plant to introduce traits like male sterility, disease resistance, and improved agronomic characteristics through backcross conversion, genetic manipulation, and transformation, along with specific breeding processes to produce hybrid maize seeds and plants.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional maize breeding processes are used to combine desirable traits, then the resulting varieties have stable and agronomically sound characteristics, but the development time is excessively long (6-12 years)

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

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a comprehensive set of inbred lines with specific desirable traits (disease resistance, drought tolerance, yield components) before the actual variety development. These pre-characterized inbreds serve as ready-to-use building blocks that can be quickly combined through controlled crosses, eliminating the need for lengthy trait-by-trait selection and evaluation processes in traditional breeding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The breeding process is segmented into distinct functional components: disease resistance traits, drought tolerance traits, and yield-related traits are separated into different inbred lines. This segmentation allows independent optimization and characterization of each trait component, which can then be recombined in systematic crossing programs to create varieties with multiple desirable traits simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple desirable traits are combined in a single variety, then the variety achieves high yield and stress tolerance, but the complexity of the breeding program increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-trait performanceVSAvoidbreeding program complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal platform of inbred lines that can serve multiple functions in different breeding scenarios. The same set of characterized inbreds can be used to develop varieties targeting different trait combinations (e.g., disease resistance + drought tolerance, or disease resistance + high yield) by simply changing the crossing partners and selection criteria, without needing to develop entirely separate breeding programs for each trait combination.

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

3Productivity

If rapid breeding methods are used to reduce development time, then the breeding process becomes faster, but the stability and agronomic soundness of the variety may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebreeding speedVSAvoidagronomic soundness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements systematic feedback mechanisms through multi-environment field trials and performance evaluation of F1 hybrids. Each crossing combination is tested under controlled conditions and evaluated for agronomic performance, disease resistance, and yield stability. This feedback loop allows rapid identification of successful trait combinations while maintaining quality control, enabling fast breeding without sacrificing variety stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11432498B1Maize inbred PH48MB
Publication Date: 2022.09.06 PIONEER HI BREED INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A novel maize variety designated PH48MB and seed, plants and plant parts thereof are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant comprise crossing maize variety PH48MB with another maize plant are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH48MB 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 PH48MB or a locus conversion of PH48MB with another maize variety.