Tomato Brix Trait Decoupling via Marker-Assisted Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current tomato breeding efforts have been unable to combine elevated Brix levels with improved fruit properties and desirable agronomic traits without introducing undesirable plant habits, such as poor plant habit, from Lycopersicon hirsutum introgressions.
Innovation Solution
The development of tomato plants with a hir4 allele from Lycopersicon hirsutum that confers elevated Brix levels, while eliminating the allele linked to poor plant habit through genetic recombination and marker-assisted selection, allowing for the identification and propagation of recombinant progeny that retain elevated Brix without undesirable traits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the hir4 allele from Lycopersicon hirsutum is introduced to elevate Brix levels, then the nutritional value and flavor of tomato fruit are improved, but the plant habit deteriorates to poor growth characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the chromosomal region containing the hir4 allele into smaller segments through repeated backcrossing and selection. This allows the beneficial hir4 allele to be separated from the linked undesirable plant habit alleles, ultimately isolating the sugar content improvement trait while eliminating the negative growth characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the desirable hir4 allele from the donor Lycopersicon hirsutum genome through marker-assisted selection and backcrossing. By using flanking markers to track the allele, the invention successfully extracts and transfers only the beneficial sugar content trait into the cultivated tomato genome, leaving behind the undesirable plant habit traits in the donor parent.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional breeding methods are used to combine desirable traits, then multiple traits can be accumulated over generations, but the process is time-consuming and linkage drag prevents efficient separation of beneficial and undesirable traits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through marker-assisted selection, where DNA markers are used to monitor the presence and absence of the hir4 allele and linked plant habit alleles in each generation. This molecular feedback mechanism allows breeders to make informed selection decisions, accelerating the breeding process by directly tracking genetic changes rather than relying on phenotypic observation alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/phenotypic selection methods with molecular marker-based selection. Instead of observing and selecting plants based on visible traits, the invention uses DNA markers to directly detect the presence of the hir4 allele and linked regions, substituting biochemical analysis for phenotypic evaluation and dramatically reducing the time required to achieve desired trait combinations.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides compositions and methods relating to the separation of elevated Brix from linked but undesirable agronomic traits among progeny with introgressions following a cross between Lycopersicon esculentum and Lycopersicon hirsutum. The invention further provides plants, plant parts, and seeds comprising such elevated Brix, which do not comprise alleles specifying undesirable agronomic traits that are genetically linked to the elevated Brix trait.