# US 10,499,578 B2 · Seedless pepper plants

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- Number: US 10,499,578 B2
- Document ID: US10499578B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/404,077
- Filed: 2017-01-11
- Published: 2017-07-06
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2011-11-22
- Assignees: Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.
- Applicants: Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.
- Inventors: Benoit Gorguet; Carl M. Jones; Dirk Vreugdenhil; Rebeca N. Benitez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499578B2

## CPC

- A01H 6/822: {Capsicum sp. [pepper]}
- A01G 22/00: Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for
- A01H 1/021: {Methods of breeding using interspecific crosses, i.e. interspecies crosses}
- A01H 1/023: {Male sterility}
- A01H 5/08: Fruits
- C12N 15/8261: {with agronomic (input) traits, e.g. crop yield}
- A01H: NEW PLANTS OR {NON-TRANSGENIC} PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES
- A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12)
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)

## Abstract

The present invention provides methods and composition for preparing seeds that when cultivated produce pepper plants with seedless fruits. These plants may further be male sterile and contain a stable non-Peterson Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (“CMS”). The invention also provides essentially pure populations of seed that, when grown, produce pepper plants with seedless fruit. Methods are provided comprising crossing a stable non-Peterson CMS plant as a female parent with pepper lines displaying a parthenocarpy trait. The invention also includes the seeds produced by such a method. Methods for breeding and using seedless pepper plants for enhancing the production of fruit under suboptimal temperature conditions are also provided.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing seed for growing a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant comprising crossing as a female parent a first pepper plant comprising a cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) trait with a second plant which is parthenocarpic to produce at least a first seed of a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant, wherein the CMS trait is not a Peterson CMS trait, and wherein the CMS trait is derived from a Capsicum baccatum plant.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising harvesting said seed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising growing a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant from said seed.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second pepper plant does not comprise a functional CMS restorer allele.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a population of seeds of a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein 100% of the population of seeds produces a seedless pepper plant.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant produces a fruit type selected from the group consisting of: bell pepper, pointed pepper, half long pepper, Corno di Toro pepper, and Dulce Italiano pepper.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A seed produced by the method of claim 1.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A plant grown from the seed of claim 8, or a vegetative propagation thereof.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A plant part of the plant of claim 9.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The plant part of claim 10, further defined as a leaf, a bud, a meristem, an embryo, a root, a root tip, a stem, a flower, a fruit, or a cell.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The plant part of claim 10, further defined as a pepper fruit that lacks internal carpelloid structures.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The plant of claim 9, wherein the plant is a bell pepper plant.

### Claim 14

A seedless pepper fruit, wherein the fruit is produced by a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant grown from a seed prepared by crossing as a female parent a first pepper plant comprising a cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) trait with a second plant which is parthenocarpic to produce at least said seed of a first seed of a parthenocarpic seedless pepper plant.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The seedless pepper fruit of claim 14, further defined as a bell pepper fruit.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

A population of seedless pepper fruits according to claim 14, wherein at least about 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or 100% of said population is made up of seedless pepper fruits.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The population of claim 16, wherein the population is defined as comprised of bell pepper fruits.

### Claim 18 (depends on 9)

A method of producing a pepper plant comprising vegetatively propagating the plant of claim 9.

### Claim 19 (depends on 9)

A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant of claim 9.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

A population of seed produced by the method of claim 1, wherein 100% of the population of seed produces a seedless pepper plant.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The population of seed of claim 20, further defined as comprising at least about 25, at least about 50 or at least about 100 seeds.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the CMS trait is obtained by combining, via backcrossing or by protoplast fusion, the cytoplasm of a C. baccatum plant with the nucleus of a C. annuum plant.