Purple Baby Broccoli Breeding via Marker-Assisted Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current broccoli breeding methods struggle to develop broccoli varieties with improved traits such as increased yield, disease resistance, and adaptability, particularly in extreme weather conditions, and there is a lack of purple baby broccoli varieties with desirable characteristics like purple stem color, tender texture, and early maturity.

Innovation Solution

The development of novel purple baby broccoli plants through crossing broccoli and gai-lan plants, selecting for purple head and stem color, and using methods like backcrossing and genetic marker-enhanced selection to introduce transgenes for traits like male sterility, herbicide resistance, and improved nutritional quality, while maintaining the genetic integrity of the Brassica oleracea var. italica and var. alboglabra genetic background.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional broccoli breeding methods are used, then existing broccoli varieties are maintained, but improved traits such as purple stem color, tender texture, and early maturity are not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to extreme weather conditionsVSAvoidbreeding complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and gai-lan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) through controlled crossing to create hybrid plants that inherit desirable traits from both parents, including purple stem color, tender texture, and early maturity, while maintaining adaptability to extreme weather conditions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses genetic markers as intermediary tools to identify and select plants with desired traits during the breeding process, enabling precise selection of purple stem color, tender texture, and early maturity characteristics without requiring complex breeding procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If hybridization between broccoli and gai-lan is performed, then purple stem color and tender texture are achieved, but genetic integrity of parental varieties may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurple stem color intensityVSAvoidgenetic background stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs genetic marker-enhanced selection to continuously monitor and verify the genetic composition of hybrid plants, providing feedback that ensures the maintenance of genetic integrity from parental varieties while achieving the desired purple stem color phenotype

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes color markers (purple stem color) as visible indicators of successful hybridization and trait inheritance, allowing for easy identification and selection of plants with the desired purple stem color characteristic while verifying genetic composition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

3Productivity

If multiple breeding steps are implemented, then improved agronomic traits are achieved, but development time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveyield improvementVSAvoidbreeding program duration
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary genetic marker analysis and selection in early breeding stages to identify plants with desired traits, allowing for more efficient progression through subsequent breeding steps and reducing overall program duration while achieving improved yield and agronomic traits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12120997B2Purple baby broccoli
Publication Date: 2024.10.22 SAKATA SEED AMERICA INC

AI summary

Purple baby broccoli plants and methods for producing purple baby broccoli plants are disclosed. The invention relates to the plants and seeds of purple baby broccoli and to methods for producing a Brassica oleracea plant having purple head and purple stems plant by crossing the purple baby broccoli with itself or another cultivar. The invention further relates to the parents of purple baby broccoli and for methods of producing purple baby broccoli. The invention also relates to methods for producing locus conversion plants of purple baby broccoli and its parent plants and to the plants produced by those methods. This invention also relates to Brassica oleracea cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from purple baby broccoli, to methods for producing other Brassica oleracea cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from purple baby broccoli and to the Brassica oleracea plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods.