Maize Tropical Rust Resistance Allele Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling tropical rust in maize, such as crop rotation and fungicide application, are resource-intensive and environmentally detrimental, highlighting the need for more effective resistance mechanisms in plant breeding.
Innovation Solution
The development of methods and compositions for identifying and selecting maize plants with enhanced resistance to tropical rust through marker-assisted selection using specific alleles linked to the 'T' deletion at position 16 of PHMTR or the 'GAG' haplotype at positions 337-339, which are associated with increased resistance, allowing for the identification and breeding of resistant varieties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crop rotation and fungicide application are used to control tropical rust, then disease management is achieved, but resource consumption increases and environmental harm occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of tropical rust infection into a beneficial selection pressure by using marker-assisted selection to identify and breed plants with natural resistance alleles. Instead of applying fungicides to combat the disease, the method selects for genetic variants that are inherently resistant, thereby eliminating the need for chemical interventions and their associated environmental harms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables plants to defend themselves against tropical rust through naturally occurring resistance alleles. By selecting and breeding plants that possess these alleles (such as the T deletion at position 16 of PHMTR or the GAG haplotype at positions 337-339), the plants gain inherent immunity without requiring external intervention from fungicides or other disease management practices.
2Reliability
If crop rotation and tillage are used to reduce fungal inoculum, then disease pressure is reduced, but additional time and resources are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by using marker-assisted selection during the breeding process to pre-select plants with resistance alleles before they are even planted. This advance selection ensures that the resulting crops inherently possess resistance to tropical rust, eliminating the need for subsequent disease management interventions such as crop rotation or tillage that would otherwise be required to control the disease.
Solution Approach 2:
By breeding plants with inherent resistance through selection of specific alleles, the plants become self-protecting against tropical rust. This eliminates the need for farmers to invest additional time and resources in disease management practices, as the resistant plants will maintain their resistance without external intervention throughout their growth cycle.
3Reliability
If resistant hybrids are planted to control tropical rust, then disease resistance is enhanced, but identification and selection of resistant plants becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces molecular markers as intermediaries that serve as reliable indicators for the presence of resistance alleles. Instead of directly assessing complex resistance traits or conducting time-consuming field trials, breeders can use these markers (such as those linked to the T deletion at position 16 of PHMTR or the GAG haplotype at positions 337-339) to quickly and accurately identify plants with desired resistance, greatly simplifying the selection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical and phenotypic selection methods with molecular-based genotypic selection. Instead of visually assessing disease resistance or conducting complex field evaluations, the method uses DNA marker analysis to directly identify plants with resistance alleles, substituting a simpler, more precise molecular system for the complex traditional selection processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the efficient selection and breeding of maize plants with improved resistance to tropical rust, reducing the need for intensive disease management practices and minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The marker probe hybridizes under stringent conditions to the contiguous DNA between and including SEQ ID NO:89, or a nucleotide sequence that is 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:89 based on the Clustal V method of alignment, and SEQ ID NO:96, or a nucleotide sequence that is 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:96
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to methods and compositions for identifying maize plants that have increased or decreased resistance to tropical rust. The methods use molecular markers to identify and select plants with increased resistance to tropical rust or to identify and counter-select plants with decreased resistance to tropical rust. Maize plants generated by the methods of the invention are also a feature of the invention. Also of interest are methods used to correlate allelic variation with a trait of interest.