A patent on the innovation is now pending.
Research team co-leader and University of Otago biochemistry research fellow Rowan Herridge said a new technique called Combined Inbreeding and Outcrossing (Ciao) has been developed using targeted genetic modification to make breeding easier, faster and more reliable.
It would help breeders create stronger, higher yielding and more resilient crops, and support a more sustainable future for farming in a rapidly changing environment.
Research co-leader Associate Prof Lynette Brownfield said the world was going to need plants that could respond to more drought or insect pressures as a result of global warming, without using more sprays and chemicals.
‘‘And so one of the ways you can do that is by using something called Filial 1 (F1) hybrid breeding.’’
F1 hybrid breeding takes the best traits of plants that can handle climate change or insect attacks, and puts them together to create a stronger hybrid.
To be able to make F1 hybrids, scientists needed to make ‘‘parental lines’’, and that was usually done by inbreeding.
Assoc Prof Brownfield said a transgene — a segment of DNA from one organism — was introduced to the genome of another organism, allowing inbreeding to happen.
The recipient organism can then express new traits and pass them on to its offspring.
‘‘Then there’s other things in the transgene that means once we’re happy with those parent lines, we can take the transgene out.’’
They go out to be the parents, to make the Filial 1 hybrid — the first generation of offspring resulting from the controlled cross-pollination or mating of two distinct, inbred parent plants, she said.
‘‘So, the seeds of the hybrids are what get sold to farmers to grow their crops.
‘‘Even under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996, null segregants are not considered genetically modified organisms.
‘‘They’re two generations away.’’
She said the Ciao research had been used on potatoes, various brassicas like cauliflower, and ryegrass.
‘‘Obviously, breeding ryegrass for more drought tolerance or flood tolerance or more extreme weather events for New Zealand, would be quite beneficial for farmers.
‘‘Clover falls into that category as well.’’
While it could be argued Ciao could create stronger, more viable hybrid plant varieties, delivering tangible benefits for agriculture, industry, and food production worldwide, Assoc Prof Brownfield said it was ‘‘another tool’’ in the fight to help address environmental issues affecting farming.
‘‘If you can try to quickly breed lines with better resilience based on their genetics, rather than increasing the use of agrochemicals, that would be a good thing.’’
With the support of Otago Innovation Limited (OIL), Ciao is now being developed in collaboration with a multinational breeding company, and is making its way through the patent process.
However, Assoc Prof Brownfield said it could be up to a decade before the public start to see it in use commercially.
‘‘We’re still developing the tools and the technologies to give to the plant growers in commercial companies.’’
