Logan—Utah State University recently received a patent for a clonal seed reproduction process that could feed millions of people throughout the world and add billions to the United States agriculture economy.

The technology involves apomixis and was developed by John Carman, professor of plant genetics in the plants, soils and biometeorology department in the College of Agriculture at Utah State. Apomixis allows seeds to form asexually, without the male gender, producing generational clones. Apomixis could save seed producers hundreds of millions each year and increase yields by up to 35 percent – enough added yield in rice alone to feed an additional billion people throughout the world.

“Apomixis technology can be used in the horticulture, agriculture and forestry industries,” said Carman. “The major impact will be seen in producing superior yielding hybrid seed of crops typically grown as inbred. This includes major crops such as wheat, barley, soybeans and rice.”

A hybrid is a cross between two genetically different individual plants, which produces superior yields that are 15 to 50 percent higher than what inbred plants produce. Corn is produced as a hybrid. Seed producers remove the pollen from rows of female plants which causes them to be pollinated by the genetically different male plants that are planted in alternate rows.

“Most of the world’s crops are not grown using hybrid technology,” Carman said. “It is too cost prohibitive for most crops for many developing countries.”

Two of the world’s largest crops, rice and wheat, are extremely hard to produce as hybrids, Carman said. Both genders are located on the same flower. The breeder must use tweezers to remove the male gender from each flower and pollinate the selected plant by hand.

“If you produce a hybrid using apomixis, the plant will be both hybrid and apomictic,” he said. “This means the plant will grow up and clone itself through its seed, without needing the male gender.”

Normal hybrid seed are good for only one seed generation. A hybrid seed’s next generation is going to produce different non-hybrid plants. Carman said it is an expensive process to produce hybrid seed every year. In hybrid corn production alone, apomixis could save seed companies approximately $400 million a year.

“For example, an apomictic plant can often produce 200 seeds,” Carman said. “Plant those seeds and they will become perfect clones of the apomictic mother hybrid, and each of these can produce another 200 clonal seeds. Eventually you will have enough seed to plant thousands of acres of farmland.”

Utah State licensed the technology to Gemini Life Sciences, Inc., of Sugar City, Idaho. The company was formed earlier this year in a merger between Caisson Laboratories, Inc. and Apomyx, Inc. Gemini was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to further develop apomixis.

“We will complete the research and move apomixis from a scientific proof-of-concept to commercialization,” said Ross Farmer, president, Gemini Life Sciences, Inc. “We look forward to seeing the effect this technology will have on the world.”

Apomixis is a naturally occurring phenomenon. Utah State learned how it evolved in nature, and through breeding and genetic manipulations was able to induce low levels of apomixis expression in crop plants. Gemini Life Sciences and Utah State are currently improving the technology using sorghum as a model crop species. Sorghum is a grain and forage plant used in the United States primarily as cattle feed.

The patent was obtained through Utah State University Research Foundation’s Technology Commercialization Office. The United States Patent US 6,750,376 B1 is titled “Methods for Producing Apomictic Plants” and was issued to Utah State June 15, 2004.

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Utah State Develops Process to Clone Hybrid Seeds