Des Moines, Iowa
August 6, 2007
A team of
DuPont scientists has
identified a gene that, when silenced, can help increase the
feed value of grain, improve breeding programs for corn and
other crops and reduce phosphorous in animal waste. Results of
this research were published online in
Nature Biotechnology on
August 5.
The gene controls production of
phytic acid, a compound in grain and oilseeds that is not
digestible by monogastric animals, such as swine and poultry,
and reduces the availability of essential minerals. Through
genetic manipulation, researchers at DuPont business
Pioneer Hi-Bred were able
to silence the gene in corn, greatly reducing the amount of
phytic acid in the seed.
“This research is a major
advancement in our effort to improve the quality of grain used
for animal feed and brings more value to producers,” said Jinrui
Shi, research scientist at Pioneer. “For years, seed and biotech
companies have been trying, with little success, to bring a
low-phytic acid offering to market. This is the first time an
institution has successfully produced a transgenic low-phytic
acid trait without impacting germination or plant growth. In the
past, this has precluded successful commercialization of this
trait.”
Low-phytic acid seed is beneficial
because it increases the amount of nutritionally available
phosphorus and the bioavailability of essential minerals, which
reduces the need for producers to add more costly feed
supplements. In addition, lowering the amount of phosphorus from
undigested phytic acid in manure can help reduce the
environmental impacts of livestock production.
“Pioneer has developed a great
example of a technology application that will directly benefit
pork producers,” said Jill Appell, president of the National
Pork Producers Council and a pork producer from Altona, Ill.
“Low-phytic acid grains will not only allow pigs to better
digest feed grains, which comprise 75 percent of their diets,
and absorb nutrients, but they’ll also reduce the phosphorus
content of manure. That’s good for the environment.”
“The low-phytic acid trait will
become part of our portfolio of traits to be integrated into our
high-yielding, agronomically superior corn hybrids over a wide
range of maturities,” Shi said. “We have also demonstrated that
this can be used in other crops such as soybeans.”
Pioneer plans to introduce
low-phytic acid seed during the next decade with a package of
traits for improved feed quality. It is part of the DuPont
strategy to improve the productivity of grain and livestock
producers to meet the growing demand for feed, fuel, food and
materials.
DuPont – one of the first
companies to publicly establish environmental goals 16 years ago
– has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal
footprint reduction to include marketdriven targets for both
revenue and research and development investment like low-phytic
acid seed. The goals are tied directly to business growth,
specifically to the development of safer and environmentally
improved new products for key global markets.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont
business, is the world's leading source of customized solutions
for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed
processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer
provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70
countries. DuPont is a science-based products and services
company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by
creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer,
healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70
countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and
services for markets including agriculture and food; building
and construction; communications; and transportation.
An abstract of the paper, “Embryo-specific silencing of a
transporter reduces phytic acid content of maize
and soybean seeds”, is available through Advance Online
Publication on the Nature Biotechnology
website:
http://www.nature.com/nbt |
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