Successes and insights of an industry biotech program to enhance maize agronomic traits

• Published in: Plant science (Limerick) Vol. 307; p. 110899
• Main Authors: Simmons, Carl R., Lafitte, H. Renee, Reimann, Kellie S., Brugière, Norbert, Roesler, Keith, Albertsen, Marc C., Greene, Thomas W., Habben, Jeffrey E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Agronomic traits; Biotechnology - methods; commercialization; corn; Crops, Agricultural - genetics; DNA; Drought; drought tolerance; Field testing; Gene edit; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; genes; Genes, Plant; genetically modified organisms; germplasm; industry; Maize; Nitrogen; nutrient use efficiency; Phenotype; Plant Breeding - methods; Plants, Genetically Modified; Promoter; research programs; RNAi; Stress; Transgene; Yield; Zea mays - genetics; Promoter; RNAi; Field testing; Maize; Yield; Drought; Nitrogen; Transgene; Stress; Agronomic traits; Gene edit
• ISSN: 0168-9452; 1873-2259; 1873-2259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.110899

•Single transgenes can improve maize grain yield in elite germplasm grown in the field.•The observed overall gene validation rate was over 1%.•Efficacious yield genes came from varied sources and encompassed diverse molecular and physiological functions.•Challenges and opportunities for developing biotech traits are discussed. Corteva Agriscience™ ran a discovery research program to identify biotech leads for improving maize Agronomic Traits such as yield, drought tolerance, and nitrogen use efficiency. Arising from many discovery sources involving thousands of genes, this program generated over 3331 DNA cassette constructs involving a diverse set of circa 1671 genes, whose transformed maize events were field tested from 2000 to 2018 under managed environments designed to evaluate their potential for commercialization. We demonstrate that a subgroup of these transgenic events improved yield in field-grown elite maize breeding germplasm. A set of at least 22 validated gene leads are identified and described which represent diverse molecular and physiological functions. These leads illuminate sectors of biology that could guide crop improvement in maize and perhaps other crops. In this review and interpretation, we share some of our approaches and results, and key lessons learned in discovering and developing these maize Agronomic Traits leads.