BRIEFING PAPER

ISSUE: Apomictic Maize - A Promising Advance in Hybrid Seed Production

It may be possible to develop varieties of crop plants that produce hybrid seed without sexual fertilization, a process known as apomixis. Apomixis is a natural method of reproduction in some plants and results in offspring that are genetically identical to the mother plant, thus allowing improved hybrids, to breed true. This would permit commercial producers and resource-poor farmers to replant seeds they produce, a strategy not practical with hybrid varieties available today for crops such as corn and sorghum. A patent entitled "Apomictic Maize," No. 5,710,367 was issued to USDA in January 1997. The inventors are Bryan Kindiger (Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Woodward, OK) and a Russian colleague Victor Sokolov. Sokolov brought seed from Russia for this research collaboration and it was used, along with the extensive ARS collection of gamma grass germplasm at Woodward, to develop the patented technology. That patent encompased the apomictic maize having two unidentified genes believed to control apomixis, the seed from that maize, and several approaches to making apomictic hybrids. Sokolov has traveled to Woodward each year from 1993-1998 to continue the cooperative research. The patent is owned in Russia and the Ukraine by the Petrov Institute of Genetics. The U.S. patent rights are assigned to ARS, and co-owned in the rest of the world with the Petrov Institute (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EPO, and Mexico).

The commercial value in apomixis technology will lie in the isolation and identification of the genes controlling this process, which could then be put into maize and potentially many other plant species, especially grasses. Because in-house resources are not sufficient to rapidly complete this project, ARS has been seeking partners to collaborate in mapping and cloning the apomictic genes. Letters have been sent to every domestic seed company, a presentation was made at the November 1997, American Seed Trade Association meeting, confidentiality agreements have been signed with more than 20 companies, and the inventor visited all companies that expressed interest.

To ensure wide availability of the technology, the original plan was to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with a broadly constituted research consortium to genetically map, clone, DNA sequence, and isolate the apomictic genes. A meeting was held October 26, 1998, in St. Louis to discuss the proposed cooperative research with representatives of seven seed companies representing more than 80% of the U.S. seed industry market. The companies suggested that ARS had three options; 1) negotiate a multiple party CRADA with all interested industry partners, 2) do the mapping, cloning, and sequencing of the genes in-house, or 3) issue a general release of the genetic material and let the industry develop apomixis as a seed production tool. The smaller seed companies were not in favor of option three, since only the largest companies could afford to undertake the genetic research which could then perhaps result in the genes being their exclusive property.

After further discussion, ARS decided that the best way to develop and ensure broad availability of the technology was to do the research solely in-house. ARS is conducting research planning meetings for a multi-year program to accomplish this tasks that will be conducted at several agency laboratories.

Contact: Peter Bretting - Telephone: 301-504-5560