Non-vascular plant spores herbicide screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The herbicide industry faces challenges in discovering new herbicides with novel modes of action due to the slow development of new herbicides, leading to resistant weeds, and existing screening methods are limited by low throughput and complexity, making it difficult to efficiently identify herbicidal activity and mode of action.
Innovation Solution
The use of non-vascular plant spores and sporelings, such as those from liverworts, for high-throughput in vivo screening methods to assess herbicidal activity and predict mode of action, overcoming limitations of current systems like Arabidopsis thaliana by providing faster growth, lower resource requirements, and enhanced throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional in vivo screening methods using whole weed plants are used, then the quality of output data is maintained, but the throughput is lower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traditional whole-plant screening approach into a hierarchical system where initial high-throughput filtering is performed using simplified plant structures (isolated tissues, cell suspensions, or sprout segments), and only promising candidates proceed to validation with whole plants. This segmentation enables processing of large compound libraries while maintaining data quality through staged assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary screening systems between in silico prediction and full in vivo whole-plant testing. These intermediaries include isolated plant tissues, cell suspensions, or sprout segments that provide a middle ground for initial phenotypic assessment, reducing the number of compounds requiring resource-intensive whole-plant screening while maintaining biological relevance.
2Reliability
If new herbicides with novel modes of action are discovered, then resistance in weeds is reduced, but the development time and resources required are significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing in silico screening and high-throughput in vivo filtering before committing to full-scale development. This preliminary assessment of large compound libraries identifies promising candidates with novel modes of action early, reducing the time and resources required for subsequent validation and development while increasing the likelihood of discovering effective herbicides against resistant weeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by measuring multiple phenotypic parameters simultaneously (growth rate, biomass, morphological changes) across different plant structures and developmental stages. This multi-parameter approach accelerates the identification of compounds with novel modes of action by detecting unique phenotypic signatures that distinguish new herbicides from existing ones, thereby reducing discovery time.
3Productivity
If high-throughput screening is implemented, then the number of compounds screened increases, but the resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the screening process into stages with decreasing resource intensity: Stage 1 uses minimal resources with isolated tissues or cell suspensions for initial filtering; Stage 2 uses moderate resources with sprout segments or small plants; Stage 3 uses maximum resources with whole plants only for top candidates. This segmentation enables screening of thousands of compounds while controlling overall resource consumption by eliminating most compounds at low-resource stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by using simplified plant structures (isolated tissues, cell suspensions, or sprout segments) for the majority of the screening process, reserving full whole-plant testing for only the most promising candidates. This partial application of the complete screening protocol to all compounds enables high throughput while minimizing resource requirements, as the simplified systems require fewer nutrients, space, and time.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides high-throughput methods capable of screening compounds for herbicidal activity or plant growth regulating activity and further allows for the prediction of the mode of action of herbicidal compounds or plant growth regulators. The methods provided herein also facilitate the identification of mutation/s responsible for resistance to herbicides in plants and the identification of the herbicide target. The methods further provide for the identification of mutation/s responsible for plant growth regulation and the identification of the plant growth regulator target.