Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T07:22:30.351Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic purity and testing technologies for seed quality: a company perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

J. S. C. Smith  and
J. C. Register III
J. S. C. Smith*
Affiliation:
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc, Research and Product Development, PO Box 1004, Johnston, IA 50131-1004, USA
J. C. Register III
Affiliation:
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc, Research and Product Development, PO Box 1004, Johnston, IA 50131-1004, USA
*
*+1-515-270-4312[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A high level of genetic purity in crop varieties must be achieved and maintained for agronomic performance as well as to encourage investment and innovation in plant breeding and to ensure that the improvements in productivity and quality imparted by breeders are delivered to the farmer and, ultimately, to the consumer. Traditionally, morphological comparisons have formed the basis for genetic purity evaluations. However, replicated field observations are time-consuming, expensive and unreliable. Morphology cannot provide information on the purity of specific genetic attributes that relate to grain quality or to pest or herbicide resistance bred into varieties. Biochemical assays, including isozymes, can distinguish varieties within several species. Isozymes have been routinely used in checking seed-lot purity in maize (Zea mays L.) for the past 20 years. Newer DNA-based technologies such as restriction fragment length polymorphisms and more recently developed methods that use the polymerase chain reaction can allow even more discriminative and faster identification of varieties. However, none of the DNA methods have replaced biochemical methods for seed purity assays, other than in a relatively select group of crops with very high seed value, due to their high datapoint cost. It will require further miniaturization, automation and enhanced capabilities to process numerous samples simultaneously before newly developed methods supplant biochemical methods for routine usage in purity testing. New varieties that have major genes for herbicide or insect resistance incorporated within them require purity assays during product development and following seed production of the commercial variety. Immunological or DNA sequence assays can be developed and automated systems are required to process hundreds of thousands of individuals. Ultra-high, micro-array technologies and single-molecule detection systems are now under development. These technologies offer the promise that adequate distinction and high sample throughput will be combined. New methods may eclipse the capabilities of biochemical methodologies, thereby potentially raising genetic purity standards and enabling farmers and consumers better to utilize and benefit from increasingly productive varieties that are bred from a more diverse base of genetic resources.

Keywords

AFLPallele-specific hybridizationisozymemaizeRAPDRFLPseed purity
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , June 1998 , pp. 285 - 294
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, S M, Szewc-McFadden, A K and Kresovich, S (1996) Development and application of simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci for plant genome analysis. pp 147–159in Jauhar, P P (Ed.) Methods of genome analysis in plants. Boca Raton, Florida, CRC Press.Google Scholar
Chee, M, Yang, R, Hubbell, F, Berno, A, Huang, X C, Stern, D, Winkler, J, Lockhart, D J, Morris, M S and Fodor, S P A (1996) Accessing genetic information with high-density arrays. Science 274, 610–614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conner, B J, Reyes, A A, Morin, C, Itakura, K, Teplitz, R L and Wallace, R B (1983) Detection of sickle cell Bs-globin allele by hybridization with synthetic oligonucleotides. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 80, 278–282.Google Scholar
Cooke, R J (1984). The characterization and identification of crop cultivars by electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 5, 59–72.Google Scholar
Cooke, R J (1988) Electrophoresis in plant testing and breeding. Advances in Electrophoresis 2, 171–261.Google Scholar
Cooke, R J (1995) Gel electrophoresis for the identification of plant varieties. Journal of Chromatography 698, 281–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erlich, H A, Horn, G, Saiki, R K and Mullis, K B (1995) Process for detecting specific nucleotide variations and genetic polymorphisms present in nucleic acids. US Patent No. 5,468,613.Google Scholar
Heun, M and Helentjaris, T (1993) Inheritance of RAPDs in Fl hybrids of corn. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 85, 961–968.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ISTA (1992) ISTA handbook of variety testing – Electrophoresis handbook: variety identification (R. Cooke, Ed.). Zurich, International Seed Testing Association.Google Scholar
Koenraadt, H and Jones, A L (1992) The use of allele-specific oligonucleotide probes to characterize resistance to benomyl in field isolates of Venturia inaequalis. Phytopathology 82, 1354–1358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, H, Arriaga, E, Chen, D Y and Dovichi, N J (1994) High-speed and high-accuracy DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis in a simple, low cost instrument. Two-color peak-height encoded sequencing at 40°C. Journal of Chromatography Analysis 680, 497–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, S E, Kresovich, S, Jester, C A, Hernandez, C J and Szewc-McFadden, A K (1997) Application of multiplex PCR and fluorescence-based, semi-automated allele sizing technology for genotyping plant genetic resources. Crop Science 37, 617–624.Google Scholar
Mohan, M, Nair, S, Bhagwat, A, Krishna, T G, Yano, M, Bhatia, C R and Sasaki, T (1997) Genome mapping, molecular markers and marker-assisted selection in crop plants. Molecular Breeding 3, 87–103.Google Scholar
Oetting, W S, Lee, H K, Flanders, D J, Wiesner, G L, Sellers, T A and King, R A (1995) Linkage analysis with multiplexed short tandem repeat polymorphisms using infrared fluorescence and M13 tailed primers. Genomics 30, 450–458.Google Scholar
Paran, I and Michelmore, R W (1993) Development of reliable PCR-based markers linked to downy mildew resistance genes in lettuce. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 85, 985–993.Google Scholar
Penner, G A, Lee, S J, Bezte, L J and Ugali, E (1996) Rapid RAPD screening of plant DNA using dot blot hybridization. Molecular Breeding 2, 7–10.Google Scholar
Powell, W, Machray, G C and Provan, J (1995) Polymorphisms revealed by simple sequence repeats. Trends in Plant Science 1, 215–222.Google Scholar
Riedy, M F, Hamilton, W J and Aquadro, C F (1992) Excess of non-parental bands in offspring from known primate pedigrees assayed using RAPD PCR. Nucleic Acids Research 20, 918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schena, M, Shalon, D, Davis, R W and Brown, P O (1995) Quantitative monitoring of gene expression patterns with a complementary DNA microarray. Science 270, 467–470.Google Scholar
Smith, J S C (1992) Plant breeders' rights in the USA; changing approaches and appropriate technologies in support of germplasm enhancement. Plant Varieties and Seeds 5, 183–199.Google Scholar
Smith, J S C (1995) Identification of cultivated varieties by nucleotide analysis. pp 131–150in Wrigley, C W (Ed.) Identification of food-grain varieties. St Paul, Minnesota, American Association of Cereal Chemists.Google Scholar
Smith, J S C and Smith, O S (1992) Fingerprinting crop varieties. Advances in Agronomy 47, 85–140.Google Scholar
Smith, J S C and Weissinger, H H (1984) Rapid monitoring of purity in seed lots of hybrid maize: modifications of current technologies. Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter 58, 103–105.Google Scholar
Smith, J S C and Wych, R D (1986) The identification of female selfs in hybrid maize: a comparison using electrophoresis and morphology. Seed Science and Technology 14, 1–8.Google Scholar
Stuber, C S, Wendel, J F, Goodman, M M and Smith, J S C (1988) Techniques and scoring procedures for starch gel electrophoresis of enzymes from maize (Zea mays L.). Technical Bulletin 286. Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, North Carolina State University.Google Scholar
UPOV (1988) International convention for the protection of new varieties of plants. Geneva, International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.Google Scholar
Vos, P, Hogers, R, Bleeker, M, Reijans, M, van de Lee, T, Hornes, M, Frijters, A, Pot, J, Peleman, J, Kuiper, M and Zabeau, M (1995) AFLP: a new technique for DNA fingerprinting. Nucleic Acids Research 23, 4407–4414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallace, R B, Shaffer, J, Murphy, R F, Bonner, J, Hirose, T and Itakura, K (1979) Hybridization of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides to FC174 DNA: the effect of single base pair mismatch. Nucleic Acids Research 6, 3543–3557.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weber, D and Helentjaris, T (1989) Mapping RFLP loci in maize using B–A translocations. Genetics 121, 583–590.Google Scholar
Williams, J G K, Kubelik, A R, Livak, K J, Rafalski, J A and Tingey, S V (1990) DNA polymorphisms amplified by arbitrary primers are useful as genetic markers. Nucleic Acids Research 18, 6531–6535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wrigley, C W (1995) Identification of food-grain varieties. St Paul, Minnesota, American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc.Google Scholar