Inbred Corn Line MN40 Breeding for Yield and Disease Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge in corn breeding is to develop stable, high-yielding corn hybrids with superior parental lines that exhibit desirable traits such as disease resistance, insect resistance, and improved nutritional quality, while maintaining genetic stability and adaptability to various environmental conditions.

Innovation Solution

The development of the inbred corn line MN40, which includes methods for producing seeds, plants, and derived corn lines with specific traits like male sterility, herbicide resistance, and enhanced nutritional quality through mutagenesis, TILLING screening, and backcrossing techniques, along with the use of transgenic approaches to introduce desired genes and regulatory elements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional breeding methods are used to develop corn hybrids, then genetic stability can be maintained, but productivity and yield potential are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveyield potentialVSAvoidbreeding program complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-screening inbred lines for desired traits (disease resistance, yield potential, adaptability) before hybrid development. The MN40 inbred line was developed through systematic preliminary breeding steps including selection, testing, and validation across multiple environments before being released as a parental line, ensuring that high-yielding hybrids are produced with reduced breeding program complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If inbred lines are developed through extensive breeding programs, then desirable traits such as disease resistance and yield potential are achieved, but the breeding time and resource investment increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease resistanceVSAvoidbreeding program duration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms by evaluating inbred lines through multi-environment trials and performance testing before release. The MN40 line underwent systematic feedback validation including yield trials, disease resistance assessments, and adaptability testing across different regions, ensuring reliable disease resistance and performance while optimizing breeding program duration through efficient selection criteria.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If corn hybrids are optimized for high yield, then productivity increases, but adaptability to various environmental conditions may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehybrid yieldVSAvoidenvironmental adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by developing the MN40 inbred line with region-specific adaptations while maintaining overall versatility. The line was bred with particular attention to performance characteristics suited for different Corn Belt regions (East, Central, and Western zones), allowing hybrids to achieve high yield in specific environments while maintaining broad adaptability through controlled genetic composition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12108726B2Inbred corn line MN40
Publication Date: 2024.10.08 KWS SAAT SE & CO KGAA

AI summary

Inbred corn line, designated MN40, are disclosed. The disclosure relates to the seeds of inbred corn line MN40, to the plants and plant parts of inbred corn line MN40 and to methods for producing a corn plant, either inbred or hybrid, by crossing inbred corn line MN40 with itself or another corn line. The disclosure also relates to products produced from the seeds, plants, or parts thereof, of inbred corn line MN40 and/or of the hybrids produced using the inbred as a parent. The disclosure further relates to methods for producing a corn plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other corn lines derived from inbred corn line MN40.