Maize Inbred PH4DAZ Breeding Acceleration

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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 from the first cross to delivering finished seed to farmers, and existing technologies face challenges in creating stable, high-yielding varieties with desirable traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and improved agronomic characteristics.

Innovation Solution

A novel maize variety, PH4DAZ, is developed through careful breeding and selection, incorporating traits like male sterility, disease resistance, and drought tolerance, achieved through backcross conversion, genetic manipulation, and transformation, allowing for the creation of hybrid seeds with enhanced agronomic properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional breeding methods are used to develop new maize varieties, then stable and high-yielding varieties can be achieved, but the development process takes six to twelve years

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestability of maize varietyVSAvoiddevelopment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing inbred lines with desired traits through backcrossing and genetic manipulation before the final hybrid development. This allows the breeding program to start with pre-selected genetic material that reduces the time needed for subsequent selection and testing phases.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses an intermediary approach by employing inbred lines as intermediate steps between the original germplasm and the final hybrid variety. These inbred lines serve as stable intermediaries that can be developed and tested separately, then combined to create the final high-yielding hybrid, thereby streamlining the overall development process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If multiple desirable traits are combined in a single variety, then agronomic performance improves, but the breeding complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveyieldVSAvoidbreeding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complex breeding objective into separate modules, each targeting a specific desirable trait (e.g., disease resistance, drought tolerance, yield). Each trait is developed and stabilized in separate inbred lines through targeted backcrossing, then these segmented components are combined in the final hybrid, reducing the overall breeding complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs universality by developing inbred lines that can serve multiple purposes - each inbred line is designed to contribute multiple desirable traits simultaneously (e.g., disease resistance, stress tolerance, and yield components), thereby reducing the number of separate breeding operations needed and simplifying the overall process.

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

Data Source

PatentUS11439097B1Maize inbred PH4DAZ
Publication Date: 2022.09.13 PIONEER HI BREED INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A novel maize variety designated PH4DAZ and seed, plants and plant parts thereof are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant comprise crossing maize variety PH4DAZ with another maize plant are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH4DAZ 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 PH4DAZ or a locus conversion of PH4DAZ with another maize variety.