Production method for high-oil corn grain
AssigneesE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company, DuPont TopCross International, Inc.
InventorsRichard Robert Bergquist, Douglas Stuart Nubel, Donald L. Thompson
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Abstract
A novel method of producing corn grain with a high oil content has been developed. Through pollination of male-sterile hybrid corn plants by nonisogenic corn plants possessing the trait of high-oil, grain is obtained possessing an oil content much higher than would be expected for self- or cross-pollination. This method can be practiced by farmers using currently accepted farming practices to directly obtain high yields of high-oil corn grain for animal feed and other products.
Claims14
A method of enhancing the oil concentration of corn grain comprising the steps of:
- (a) planting in close proximity:
- (1) corn seed of a high-yielding variety to obtain female corn plants wherein said female corn plants have been rendered male sterile by genetic, mechanical, chemical or a combination of such methods;
- and
- (2) corn seed of a high-oil concentration variety which is nonisogenic to said female corn plants to produce high-oil concentration corn plants capable of serving as pollinators;
- (b) permitting said high-oil concentration corn plants to pollinate said female corn plants;
- (c) harvesting the resulting corn grain on said corn plants, thereby obtaining a high yield of corn grain possessing an oil concentration intermediate between that found in kernels obtained following self-pollination of said high-oil concentration corn plants and said female corn plants.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.