# US 5,706,603 A · Production method for corn with enhanced quality grain traits > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,706,603 A - Document ID: US5706603A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/464,249 - Filed: 1995-06-05 - Granted: 1998-01-13 - Earliest claimed: 1990-11-16 - Assignees: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company; DuPont TopCross International, Inc. - Inventors: Richard Robert Bergquist; Douglas Stuart Nubel; Donald L. Thompson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5706603A ## CPC - A01H 1/12: {Processes for modifying agronomic input traits, e.g. crop yield} - Y10S 47/01: Methods of plant-breeding and including chromosome multiplication - A01H: NEW PLANTS OR {NON-TRANSGENIC} PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A novel method of producing corn grain with enhanced quality traits including high oil content has been developed. Through pollination of male-sterile hybrid corn plants by nonisogenic corn plants possessing genes which control the expression of enhanced quality grain traits, grain is obtained possessing such traits 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, high-protein corn grain, and other valuable grain for animal feed and other products. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for producing corn grain with an enhanced quality grain trait comprising the steps of: (a) randomly interplanting in a field: (1) corn seed of a high-yielding and agronomically elite hybrid variety to obtain female corn plants wherein said female corn plants have been rendered male sterile by genetic methods; and (2) corn seed of a heterozygous and heterogeneous variety, enhanced in a quality grain trait selected from the group consisting of quantity of oil, protein, lysine, oleic acid, and amylose, which variety is nonisogenic to and does not exhibit good combining ability with said female corn plants and capable of serving as a pollinator, to produce plants enhanced in said quality grain trait; (b) permitting said corn plants enhanced in said quality grain trait to pollinate said female corn plants, wherein said quality grain trait is expressed in corn grain on said female corn plants by a xenia effect; (c) harvesting the resulting corn grain on all corn plants, thereby obtaining a high yield of corn grain enhanced in said quality grain trait for use as grain. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method of claim 1 wherein said quality grain trait is the quantity of oil and said corn plants serving as pollinators are high-oil corn plants. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the female corn plants are agronomically elite F1 hybrids of high yield, but are low in oil. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein the female corn plants are high in oil. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators are high-oil inbreds. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators are high-oil hybrids. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators comprise a population containing high-oil plants. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators comprise an open pollinated variety of high oil corn. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators are hybrids derived from a cross of standard field corn lines and a high oil corn plant selected from the group consisting of high-oil concentration inbreds, high-oil concentration hybrids, a population containing high-oil concentration plants, and an open pollinated variety of high oil corn. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein the high-oil corn plants serving as pollinators are member of the group consisting of Alexho Synthetic, Ultra High Oil, Alexho Elite populations, the Illinois versions of the Disease Oil, Iowa 2 Ear, Reid Yellow Dent, and Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic populations which have also been selected for high oil. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein said female corn plants are derived from seed of a high-yielding F1 hybrid and said high-oil corn plants capable of serving as pollinators are derived from seed of ASKC28. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein the enhanced quality grain trait is protein. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12 wherein the enhanced protein corn plants capable of serving as pollinators are members of the group consisting of ASKC28. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein the enhanced quality grain trait is lysine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14 wherein the enhanced lysine corn plants capable of serving pollinators are members of ASKC28. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein the enhanced quality grain trait is oleic acid. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein enhanced oleic acid corn plants capable of serving as pollinators are members of the group consisting of Va35, LH24 and B73ol. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein the enhanced quality grain trait is amylose. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the enhanced amylose corn plants capable of serving as pollinators express the gene Ae-5180. ### Claim 20 A method for producing corn grain with an enhanced quality grain trait comprising the steps of: (a) randomly interplanting in a field: (1) corn seed of a high-yielding and agronomically elite hybrid variety to obtain female corn plants wherein said female corn plants have been rendered male sterile by genetic methods; and (2) corn seed of a heterozygous and heterogeneous variety, enhanced in a quality grain trait selected from the group consisting of quantity of oil, protein, lysine, oleic acid, and amylose, which variety is nonisogenic to and does not exhibit good combining ability with said female corn plants and is capable of serving as a pollinator to produce plants enhanced in said quality grain trait, wherein the ratio of corn seed of said heterozygous and heterogeneous variety enhanced in said quality trait to corn seed of a high yielding and agronomically elite hybrid variety is not greater than one to three; (b) permitting said corn plants enhanced in said quality grain trait to pollinate said female corn plants, wherein said quality grain trait is expressed in corn grain on said female corn plants by a xenia effect; (c) harvesting the resulting corn grain on all corn plants, thereby obtaining a high yield of corn grain enhanced in said quality grain trait for use as grain. ### Claim 21 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein said female corn plants and said high-oil corn plants capable of serving as pollinators are interplanted randomly within a row, and grain from both said female plants and said high-oil corn plants capable of serving as pollinators is harvested. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A method of claim 1 for producing corn grain with an enhanced quality grain trait wherein said corn seed of a heterozygous and heterozygous variety capable of serving as a pollinator is enhanced in a quality grain trait selected from the group consisting of protein, lysine, oleic acid, and amylose.