TRAIT INTROGRESSION
Trait Introgression is a valuable technique in modern agriculture, as it allows the incorporation of desirable traits into corn (and other) crops, such as resistance to pests, tolerance to diseases or herbicides, higher yields, or adaptation to specific environmental conditions.
For the specific case of corn cultivation, trait introgression must be carried out in the parental lines. At Rusticana we know the importance of carrying out this process in a careful and controlled manner to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of the service we offer.
The key steps in the process of trait introgression in corn seeds lines:
Selecting the source of the desired trait
First, plant breeders identify a corn variety or wild species that possesses the desired trait. This trait may be, for example, resistance to a particular disease, such as transgenic Bt corn, which produces an insecticidal protein, or resistance to herbicides, among others.
Crossing
A controlled cross is made between the recipient variety (which is generally a commercial variety or a corn line in use) and the source variety that has the desired trait. During this process, it is ensured that the resulting offspring inherits the trait of interest from the source variety.
Offspring selection
Through selection testing and genetic markers, offspring plants that carry the desired trait from the source variety are identified. This is a critical process to ensure that the desired trait is maintained while removing other unwanted genes from the source variety.
Backcross
To further refine the recipient line and remove any unwanted genetic contamination from the source variety, repeated backcrosses are performed. In each backcross cycle, selected offspring are crossed with the original recipient line and then plants carrying the desired trait are selected again.
Performance and adaptation testing
The resulting lines are extensively tested to evaluate their performance and adaptation to local growing conditions. This is essential to ensure that new maize varieties with the introduced trait are viable and productive in a specific environment.
Commercial launch
Once the introgression process has been completed and it has been confirmed that the new corn variety meets the desired quality and yield standards, it can be released commercially for use in agriculture.