Maize Inbred PH4DB6 Breeding Acceleration

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Solution Overview

Problem

The development of new maize varieties is a time-consuming process that takes six to twelve years, and there is a continuous need for stable, high-yielding maize varieties with improved traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and better agronomic characteristics.

Innovation Solution

A novel maize variety, PH4DB6, is developed through careful breeding and selection, incorporating traits like male sterility, disease resistance, and improved agronomic characteristics, using techniques such as backcross conversion, genetic manipulation, and transformation, allowing for the creation of hybrid maize seeds and plants with specific desirable traits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional maize breeding methods are used to develop new varieties with desirable traits, then the varieties achieve stability and high yield, but the development process takes six to twelve years

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevariety stabilityVSAvoidbreeding development time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a diverse panel of inbred lines with known genetic characteristics and desirable traits before the actual breeding program begins. This pre-prepared genetic resource base allows breeders to immediately initiate crossing experiments without time-consuming variety selection and characterization phases, thereby accelerating the overall breeding timeline while maintaining variety stability through proven parental lines

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple desirable traits are combined in a single maize variety, then the variety achieves maximal yield and adaptability, but the breeding process becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetrait diversityVSAvoidbreeding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complex multi-trait breeding process into separate manageable components: disease resistance traits, drought tolerance traits, and yield-related traits are developed in distinct inbred line combinations. Each trait combination is evaluated independently, allowing breeders to systematically combine and test different trait segments without overwhelming complexity, ultimately assembling high-adaptability varieties through structured integration of these segmented trait modules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If extensive breeding and selection processes are conducted to achieve high yield, then the variety performance is maximized, but the time from first cross to seed delivery extends to six to twelve years

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaize yieldVSAvoidtime to seed delivery
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies copying by creating and maintaining multiple replicate populations of inbred lines and their hybrid combinations simultaneously across different locations and environments. Instead of sequential testing of single populations over many years, parallel copying of genetic material allows extensive yield evaluation to occur concurrently in multiple replicated trials, dramatically reducing the time required to achieve statistically validated high-yielding varieties while maintaining rigorous selection standards

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11432504B1Maize inbred PH4DB6
Publication Date: 2022.09.06 PIONEER HI BREED INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A novel maize variety designated PH4DB6 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant comprise crossing maize variety PH4DB6 with another maize plant are provided. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH4DB6 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 PH4DB6 or a locus conversion of PH4DB6 with another maize variety.