Transgenic Plants Enhancing Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current agricultural practices face challenges in enhancing crop yields, nitrogen use efficiency, and water use efficiency, as existing methods often result in suboptimal plant performance under stress conditions such as drought or limited nutrient availability.

Innovation Solution

The development of transgenic plants incorporating recombinant DNA molecules encoding specific polypeptides, such as Glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase, which are introduced into plant cells to enhance traits like increased yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and water use efficiency, utilizing promoters and other regulatory elements for targeted expression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional agricultural practices are used, then current crop production is maintained, but yield potential and resource use efficiency are suboptimal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrop yieldVSAvoidplant performance under stress
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies plant genetics by introducing transgenes that alter physiological parameters related to photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and stress response. This changes the biological parameters of the plant to achieve higher yield and better stress tolerance simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates composite genetic systems by combining multiple transgenes with host plant genomes. The recombinant DNA molecules integrate with the plant's existing genetic material to produce plants with enhanced traits that combine conventional plant characteristics with new functional capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Quantity of substance

If existing crop varieties are used, then current resource consumption is maintained, but nitrogen use efficiency and water use efficiency are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenitrogen and water consumptionVSAvoidresource use efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces transgenes that modify key physiological parameters including nitrogen assimilation enzymes, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance. These parameter changes enable plants to use nitrogen and water more efficiently while maintaining or reducing total consumption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates regulatory elements and metabolic pathways that provide feedback control on resource utilization. The transgenic plants regulate nitrogen uptake and water use based on environmental conditions and internal needs, improving overall resource use efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

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

These transgenic plants exhibit improved yield, nitrogen uptake, and water utilization efficiency compared to control plants, demonstrating enhanced agronomic performance under both optimal and stress conditions.

Implementation Method 1

a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide... a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96-153, 158, 160, or 162-169... Glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEnzyme catalysis: Enzyme

Data Source

PatentUS10550403B2Transgenic plants with enhanced traits
Publication Date: 2020.02.04 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

This disclosure provides transgenic plants having enhanced traits such as increased yield, increased nitrogen use efficiency and enhanced drought tolerance; propagules, progeny and field crops of such transgenic plants; and methods of making and using such transgenic plants. This disclosure also provides methods of producing hybrid seed from such transgenic plants, growing such seed and selecting progeny plants with enhanced traits. Also disclosed are transgenic plants with altered phenotypes which are useful for screening and selecting transgenic events for the desired enhanced trait.