Research and develop the technology of “one-step method” to create nuclear sterile line and its maintainer line using gene editing, which provides efficient technology for the third generation crop hybrid breeding technology Program. Corresponding authors of the study are Researcher Xie Chuanxiao and Researcher Li Xinhai of the Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Xie Chuanxiao introduced that China’s annual corn planting area exceeds 600 million mu, almost all of the field production is hybrid varieties, and the creation of sterile lines and the production of sterile lines are The key technology of heterosis utilization. At this stage, crop hybrid technology has been developed to the third generation. However, relying on traditional breeding methods has many steps and slow processes, usually requiring 6-8 years.
Researchers used gene editing technology to delete targeted functional domains of maize fertility genes, creating nuclear sterile lines and using gene editing ingeniously The technical precision makes it compatible with the maintenance system technology, thus creating a control-type nuclear sterility maintenance system.
The maintainer line has the following three characteristics: one is to restore the fertility of the male flower of the spore body of the sterile line; the second is to carry the technical elements of the maintainer line only through the female gamete. The offspring is inherited; the third is the red fluorescent mark on the grain.
Self-maintaining seeds of maintainer plants will produce 1:1 progeny of maintainer and sterile lines. The seeds of maintainer and sterile lines can be visualized due to their different luminescence characteristics. Or machine identification, so as to realize the non-destructive sorting of the seeds of the maintenance line and the sterile line. The sorted sterile line is used for the female parent of hybrid seed production, and the seed of the maintainer line is used for the production of the maintainer line and the sterile line in the next production year.
After breeding new varieties with this technology, there is no need for manual or mechanical detasseling during seed production, and the “one-step” seed production can be realized, reducing production costs.
This research-related technology has been granted an authorized invention patent in 2019.
Original link: https://www.cell.com/molecular-plant/fulltext/S1674-2052(20)30181-7?utm_source=EA&from=timeline< /div>