Strawberry Cultivar UCD Mojo Summer Yield via PF Mutation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing strawberry cultivars adapted for summer production often fail to perform well under high summer temperatures and long day lengths, limiting their yield and adaptability in contra-season production systems.
Innovation Solution
The development of the 'UCD Mojo' strawberry cultivar, which is homozygous for the PERPETUAL FLOWERING mutation, allowing it to flower under long day lengths and high temperatures, and is adapted for summer-plant production through asexual propagation, resulting in higher sugar-to-acid ratios, firmer fruit, and improved resistance to certain diseases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional strawberry cultivars are used for summer production, then they can be grown during summer months, but they fail to perform well under high summer temperatures and long day lengths, resulting in low yields
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and breeding strawberry plants with specific genetic mutations (PF mutation) that alter their physiological response to photoperiod and temperature. This changes the flowering and fruiting parameters from photoperiod-sensitive to photoperiod-insensitive, enabling consistent production under varying summer conditions including long day lengths and high temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses asexual propagation methods to create identical copies of the selected 'UCD Mojo' plant that possesses the desired PF mutation. This ensures that all propagated plants maintain the same genetic characteristics and adaptive traits for summer production, preserving the yield and adaptability improvements across multiple generations.
2Productivity
If day-neutral cultivars are planted at the height of summer, then they can flower over summer months, but they do not perform well or produce high yields when planted at the height of summer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the photoperiod sensitivity parameter of the strawberry cultivar through selection of plants carrying the PF mutation. This genetic parameter change transforms the plant from photoperiod-sensitive (requiring specific day lengths for flowering) to photoperiod-insensitive (flowering regardless of day length), making performance reliable under varying summer photoperiod conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If strawberry plants are adapted for contra-season production, then they can produce in summer and fall, but they require specific genetic mutations that are difficult to identify and select
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asexual propagation to create identical copies of the selected 'UCD Mojo' plant, eliminating the need for complex genetic selection in subsequent generations. Once the desired PF mutation is identified in a mother plant, all asexually propagated clones inherit the same genetic traits, simplifying the breeding and selection process while maintaining contra-season production capability.
Data Source
AI summary
‘UCD Mojo’ is an extreme day neutral cultivar of a strawberry plant adapted for summer-planting that provides high yields.