Transcript The importance of GEM for US Seed Companies Walter Trevisan Monsanto Central Corn Belt Commercial Corn Breeding Lead Waterman-Dekalb-IL.

The importance of
GEM for US Seed
Companies
Walter Trevisan
Monsanto
Central Corn Belt Commercial
Corn Breeding Lead
Waterman-Dekalb-IL
Outline

Introduction

The Corn Genetic Diversity used in the US

How can Seed companies benefit from GEM efforts?
– Large Seed Companies
– Small Seed companies

What are the present main deliverables from GEM?

Why are we confident that GEM is going to evolve with the
new trends/new challenges of the modern seed industry?

Conclusion
Introduction
The hybrid corn breeding milestones and
bottlenecks over the years
Introduction
The hybrid corn breeding milestones and
bottlenecks over the years
–
–
–
–
–
Land Races and Varieties till early 20th
century
The Double Cross era
The Single Cross era
The recurrent selection era
The data driven/pedigree era
Introduction
The hybrid corn breeding milestones and
bottlenecks over the years
–
The T Cytoplasm and the H. maydis
disaster of early 70’s
 The
–
danger of genetic uniformity
The biotech era
–
–
The mergers and acquisitions
The traits boom
 10-12 traits stacks by 2012?
Yield Gain/Year on the Farm Increases by 70% in
Biotech Era
11000
160
10000
biote ch de cade
b=194.7/3.11
Troyer, F., Crop Sci. 46:528-543.
9000
Average Corn Yields (kg/ha)
8000
140
320 million additional acres would be needed
to produce today’s crop @Civil War yield levels
120
7000
100
6000
s ingle cr os s
b=113.2/1.81
5000
80
The Organic Era
4000
60
3000
ope n pollinate d
b=63.1/1.01
double cr os s
40
2000
20
1000
b=1.0/0.02
0
186
5
0
187
5
188
5
189
5
190
5
191
5
192
5
193 194
5ear 5
Y
195
5
196
5
197
5
198
5
199
5
200
5
Introduction
The hybrid corn breeding milestones and
bottlenecks over the years
–
The Ethanol boom and its challenges

Corn on Corn
–
–
–
–
–

Disease pressure
 Foliar diseases
 Stalk rots
 More use of fungicides
Nematodes?
More (more expensive) Nitrogen
 How about P2O5?
Seedling vigor
Mechanization challenges
 Planting over more corn debris
 Harvesting more stalk lodged plants
Storage challenges
Ethanol Plants in USA
74
Plants
66Potential
Planned +Iowa
current
in Iowa
63
11
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across IA
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*
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Capacity:
Capacity:139%
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Figure 1.
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Corn Prices – 3 years
95
4.00
90
3.50
85
3.00
80
2.50
75
2.00
70
1.50
2000
2002
2004
Planted Acres
2006
2008
Farm Price
2010
$ per Bushel
Million Acres
Increase the area and increase the price? Unheard!!
Are we going to have
enough corn?
The corn genetic diversity
used in US
The corn genetic diversity used in US
Do
we have enough variability to
allow continuous genetic gains
for yield and still have
sustainable economic yields?
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
One basic race used in most of the Corn
Belt (and other parts of the world)
 The
–
–
19th century origin race- Corn Belt Dent
The merge of two land races- Southern Dents and
Northern Flints- in different percentages narrowed
down nowadays to
 SSS in the female side
 Non SSS (C103; Oh43; Oh7) in the male side
Southern Dents still used in the South but
receiving more and more introgressions of either
SSS or Lancaster
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
New techniques and increases in sizes and numbers
have allowed us to keep genetic gains

Increase in nursery sizes (typical station)
1950- X acres
1970- 3X acres
1990- 7X acres
2000- 10X acres
2010- 15X acres

Increase in testing sizes
1950X acres
1970- 2.5X acres
1990- 5.0X acres
2000- 7.0X acres
2010- 15.0X acres


Better use of winter nursery- 2 or more gen/year
Mechanization of planters, harvesting, processing
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
New techniques and increases in sizes and
numbers have allowed us to keep genetic
gains

Better understanding of GxE and GxExY interactions

Better statistical designs

Incredible increase in computer speed and computer usage

Utilization of molecular markers- breeding and BC

Insect traits helped lower CV’s
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
New techniques and increases in sizes and
numbers have allowed us to keep genetic
gains (cont)

The use of the Double Haploids techniques (old
Chase’s monoploid techniques)

How many new techniques our breeding groups are
“cooking” to improve efficiencies in our research?

But the bottom line is and will be ALWAYS:–
–
How good our genetic base is
How good we are at moving up the yield
Breeding and Biotechnology
will drive yield increases
Step-Changes in Grain Potential
Average Corn Yield
(in bushels per acre)
300
Nat’l yields
of 300
bu./ac
Sizable
Gains
are
Willpossible
Be Realized
From MarkerAssisted
Breeding
250
200
150
100
50
0
1970
1990
2010
2030
Historical Yield Projection
30-Year Trend, Based on Historical Yield Projection
Molecular Breeding Benefit
Biotechnology Yield Benefit
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
How long can we keep increasing the genetic
gains and expanding the heterosis with
narrower and narrower variability, even with
the use of molecular markers?
–
Are we going to wait till most of the variability
is exhausted in this single corn race to look
for new germplasm from different parts of the
world?
–
These questions have always been in the mind
of very few breeders.
–
The competitive environment calls for more
and more data driven decisions that normally
narrows the genetic variability very fast
The corn genetic diversity used in US
–
Some companies might reach its own yield plateau
before others depending on how much infusion of
different germplasm they have
–
We need serious work on:
Collecting what still is out there to be collected

Preserving and evaluating what has been collected

Increasing programs like GEM that systematically
introgress new variability into an adapted genetic
basis
How can Seed companies
benefit from GEM efforts?
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?
The views of a large seed company (Monsanto)
 Monsanto
strategically acquired different seed
companies with different germplasm that used
different methodologies for breeding
–
The US Germplasm base acquired still allows good
genetic gains for near future
–
Very competitive and diverse Ex-US germplasm base
 Even GEM is benefiting from it- DK888; DK212;
XL370; DK844; etc; from different tropical areas of
the world
–
A pool of germplasm breeders very experienced in
germplasm introgressions
Global Germplasm Resources
Enable Deployment of
Differentiated Product Portfolios
12 countries and 3 companies/country = 36 major germplasm acquisitions
Asgrow
DEKALB
Int’l
Int’l
Asgrow USA
DEKALB
USA
Inter-company
Crosses
Holden’s
Sensako
Cargill Int’l
Agroceres
“Inter-company” breeding crosses are a routine part of our program
Starting 2nd Breeding Generation of an integrated germplasm pool
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?

Monsanto breeding strategy was/is to aggressively
introgress Monsanto proprietary Ex-US germplasm into
the Monsanto US heterotic pattern in a continuous and
planned system

Results are piling!!

Recently several broad announcement:
–
Farmers Progress show
 Demo of a hybrid launched in the Southern Corn Belt
-25% Argentinean Flint in the male side
-25% Brazilian germplasm in the female side
 Monsanto’s CTO (Fraley) speeches to investors and
media
The Monsanto Ex-US germplasm allows tremendous
support for breeding and discovery projects
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?

The seed companies introgression strategies are like “two
lane highway”

The yield genes and heterosis accumulated in US has been
more and more ”exported”.

More and more US germplasm is incorporated in other
countries’ heterotic patterns

Intensive breeding in these countries is decreasing their
exploited genetic variability
-Ex:- Thailand
-1985- 95% varieties
-2000- 90% Single Cross


Biotech era- export QTL’s to all the corn breeding around
the world?
The introgressions that we will have in the future will have
more and more of US germplasm (and US QTL’s).
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?

How we (Monsanto) see GEM helping a large seed
company?
–
We see GEM as

A parallel effort to bring to US different genes that enhance
the US corn germplasm diversity

A “repository” of the genetic variability that the competitive
breeding burns

A continuous and dedicated effort to identify different traits
that can enhance the US corn

A source of diverse adapted inbreds that are ready to be used
in breeding programs

We don’t believe yet that one inbred directly out of GEM
could be commercial in a large company. But chances are
increasing.

Recent evaluations against our testers indicate that the new
releases are a lot more competitive in plant quality and yield
level
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?
 How
do we see GEM helping a small seed
company?
–
Access to Ex-US Inbreds
 US adapted germplasm base
 Clear aligned heteroticaly
 Screened by industry’s standard heterotic
aligned testers
 No daylenght sensitivity
–
Access to source populations with 25% or 50%
exotic germplasm for breeding purposes
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?
 How
do we see GEM helping a small seed
company?
–
Participation in GEM is easy and cheap
–
Inbreds are released to cooperators two years ahead
of non cooperators
–
Recent inbreds released by GEM are more
commercially competitive.
How US Seed Companies can benefit
from GEM?
–
How do we see GEM helping a small seed
company?

Direct Benefits
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Foliar Diseases resistance to
 GLS
 Southern and Northern Corn Leaf Blight
 Common and Southern Rust
 Other minor diseases
Stalk and/or Ear rot resistance
 Anthracnosis
 Diplodia spp
 Fusarium spp
Drought stress tolerant inbreds
Heat stress tolerant inbreds
Grain quality- physical and nutritional
Nitrogen; Phosphorous; Aluminum efficiency
Other traits
What are the present
main deliverables from
GEM?
Finished Inbreds released by GEM/GEM partners
Year
# Lines Released
Institution
Germplasm Attributes
2001
1*
USDA-ARS Ames
Resistance to 1st brood ECB (non-DIMBOA)
2002
2*
Univ. of Delaware
Yield, resistance to anthracnose and GLS
2003
29**
NC State Univ.
Yield, earlier flowering, GLS, Fusarium
2003
1*
Ohio State Univ.
Yield, fusarium resistance
2003
1
Univ. of Delaware
VAT
2003
42
USDA-ARS Ames
Temperate adaptation, GLS, VAT
2003
9*
NC State Univ.
Yield, VAT, GLS
2004
14
USDA-ARS Ames
Temperate adaptation, yield, VAT
2004
2
Texas A&M
Stress tolerance, yield, CEW, grain mold resistance
2004
1
Univ. of Wisconsin
Superior nutritional quality/yield
2004
9
NC State Univ.
Yield, earlier flowering, VAT
2005
9
USDA-ARS Ames
Temperate adaptation, yield, VAT
2005
1
Univ. of Delaware
High protein
2005
19
NC State Univ.
Yield, earlier flowering, VAT
2006
13
USDA-ARS Ames
Yield, VAT
2006
3
NC State Univ.
Yield, earlier flowering
2007
10
USDA-ARS Ames
Protein, oil, high starch for ethanol
2007
10
NC State U.
50% exotics; disease resistance
2007
1*
Truman St.
High amylose line
Total
177
* Crop Science registered.
Germplasm released by GEM till 2007
GRAND LIST
Year
Total *
Set Lines
Released
Lines
Set A
1999
62
Set B
2000
60
Set C
2001
50
Set D
2001
70
Set E
2004
87
Set F
2004
50
Set G
2004
30
Set H
2004
54
Set R
2004
72
Total
* Mostly S3 bulk
535
2007- Across Locations Means
PRODUCT NAME
MON
CODES
TRAIT
YIELD
YM
MST
TWT
STLP
RTLP
PHT
EHT
ERM
DKC64-23
Mon Check
YG PLUS
213.0
11.2
20.2
56.8
0.0
0.0
90.0
38.5
113.3
DKC61-66
Mon Check
TRIPLE
211.9
11.8
19.5
56.6
0.0
0.0
85.5
37.0
112.3
RX785RR2/YGPL
Mon Check
TRIPLE
208.4
11.9
18.7
55.8
0.0
0.0
88.5
32.5
112.7
DKC60-18
Mon Check
TRIPLE
207.4
11.5
19.1
56.1
0.0
0.0
88.5
32.0
112.9
Mon SSS x GEM7
GEM
GEM
205.6
10.5
21.5
55.1
0.0
0.0
102.5
50.0
113.8
Mon NSSS x GEM9
GEM
GEM
205.0
10.6
19.8
55.1
1.9
0.0
89.0
33.0
114.0
Mon SSS x GEM17
GEM
GEM
204.1
9.7
22.4
53.6
2.4
0.0
97.5
45.0
116.4
Mon SSS x Mon Exotic
MON Exotic
Mon Exotic
203.6
11.1
19.8
56.1
0.9
0.0
97.0
40.5
113.5
DKC60-18
Mon Check
TRIPLE
203.5
11.2
19.5
55.6
0.0
0.0
86.5
34.0
113.5
Mon NSSS x GEM29
GEM
GEM
200.7
10.2
22.3
55.7
0.0
0.0
92.4
36.1
113.7
Mon NSSS x GEM27
GEM
GEM
200.1
12.0
18.2
55.4
1.8
0.0
96.5
43.0
111.1
Mon SSS x GEM34
GEM
GEM
200.0
11.2
19.2
54.2
0.0
0.0
92.5
39.0
111.8
DKC61-72
Mon Check
RR2
199.7
11.5
19.2
55.7
0.0
0.0
90.0
35.5
112.3
Mon NSSS x GEM19
GEM
GEM
198.6
10.4
21.2
55.4
1.0
0.0
89.0
44.0
113.5
RX752RR/YG
Mon Check
RR2YG
198.4
11.0
19.9
55.1
0.0
0.0
91.0
35.5
113.7
Mon SSS x GEM2
GEM
GEM
198.3
10.2
21.6
55.7
0.0
0.0
96.0
36.0
114.8
RX752YG
Mon Check
YG
198.3
11.2
19.9
55.3
0.3
0.0
86.5
31.5
112.4
Mon NSSS x GEM5
GEM
GEM
198.0
11.3
19.1
55.6
0.9
0.0
90.0
38.0
113.1
Mon NSSS x GEM13
GEM
GEM
197.9
10.0
20.4
55.0
1.7
0.0
97.4
52.1
115.3
Mon NSSS x GEM12
GEM
GEM
197.6
10.8
19.2
55.9
0.9
0.0
97.0
46.5
112.7
DKC64-27
Mon Check
RR2
197.0
10.6
19.8
56.3
0.3
0.0
92.0
33.5
114.6
Why we are confident
that GEM is going to
evolve with the new
trends/new challenges of
the modern seed
industry?
GEM is adapting to the present and future
breeding needs
Exotic
-Elite Inbreds
-Modern Hybrids
-Temp. Adapted
-Exchange
Adapted
-Elite Early
-Elite Central
-Off patent
Methodology
-Sub-committee
-Known Het. Testers
-Trait Testers?
-Elite Found Testers
-S.S. Descent
-Dihaploids
-Improved Assoc.
Studies
Cooperators
and testing
-US
-International
-Exchange
-”Liaisons”
Visibility
-”Marketing”
-ASTA
-Breeder’s
Meetings
-GEM Newsletter
Email
GEM is adapting to the present and future
breeding needs

Adapted Germplasm
–
–

Exotic Germplasm
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
Sub-committee
Single Seed Descent; Dihaploids; Land Races Relationship
Associations Studies- in planning
Cooperators
–

Elite known heterosis
Off patent
Traits?
Continuous review of our Methodologies
–

Available Elite Tropical Inbreds- Cimmyt, CIAT, IITA, Asia, Africa, L. America.
 Public
 Exchange
Modern new Tropical Hybrids- Private or public
Temperate adapted Tropical sources- like FS
US Testers
–

Use early for first cross (95RM?)
Better Elite Central Corn Belt
 From Cooperators
 Off Patent
 Known heterosis with testers
Attract more US and non-US companies and institutions
Visibility
–
–
USDA
ASTA
Conclusion
 GEM is the best example of a successful cooperative effort among
USDA, Universities and private sector to achieve the goals of
increasing germplasm diversity and decreasing genetic vulnerability
in the US Corn.
 GEM is already producing some interesting inbreds/germplasm for the
seed industry
 GEM is adapting very quickly to the continuous needs of an evolving
seed industry
 GEM can benefit smaller and bigger seed companies
That’s all folks!
Questions/Comments?