Crop Resistance to Nematodes Parasitic nematodes that attack the roots of plants are estimated to cause an annual worldwide crop damage of over $100 billion. For soybean the most important pathogen is the nematode Heterodera glycines which in the US causes an annual loss of more than 120 million bushel valued at over $1.2 billion. Other Heterodera species can cause significant damage to corn while potato nematodes of the Globodera genus can result in up to 60% reduction in potato yield. Crops resistant to nematodes are therefore of great economic interest. The current invention developed by researchers at the University of Missouri is a genetic approach to make plants resistant to infestation from cyst nematodes attacking soybean corn and potato. The nematodes secrete effector proteins in order to connect with the plant’s root cells and plants lacking the receptors these effector proteins interact with have increased nematode resistance. Disruption of the plant receptors did not result in obvious changes to root growth in the plant and can be employed to develop a novel management tactic to reduce cyst nematode parasitism of crop plants. POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATIONS- Nematode resistant crops of soybean corn and potato MAIN ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION- Genetically modified plants- Normal root phenotype- Increased crop yields- Decreased use of pesticides STATE OF DEVELOPMENT Partial resistance has been achieved in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana and strategies for improving the resistance are being researched. Nematode resistant soybean and potato are under development. LICENSING POTENTIAL University seeks licensee with potential to commercialize PATENT STATUS: Patent application submitted TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS Melissa G Mitchum Amy Replogle Jianying Wang Xiaohong Wang Shiyan Chen Ping Lang Eric L Davis Thomas J Baum Richard S Hussey TECHNOLOGY MANAGER CONTACT Samuel E. Bish PhD; [email protected]; 573-882-5016Nancy Parker PhD; [email protected]; 573-884-3553.
-Genetically modified plants -Normal root phenotype -Increased crop yields -Decreased use of pesticides