Expedited Trait Development at KeyGene

Recent advances in genomic and transcriptomic analyses have contributed to a dramatic shift in speed with which trait development is done in agriculture.  Today’s technologies enable affordable and rapid trait discovery and development not just in model plants but also in crops of commercial interest. Over the last 25 years KeyGene has remained as a frontrunner in trait development with its end-to-end capabilities and expertise in effective deployment of complementary technologies to elucidate complex relationships between crop genomes and transcriptomes and the resulting phenotype of value.  In this presentation, we will share data to showcase the value of combined deployment of multiple technologies at KeyGene. KeyGene’s powerful lead discovery platform called KeySeeQ^® brings together crop and trait expertise, high-quality sequence data and computational methods specifically designed to pinpoint master regulators of trait expression. These regulators are ideal targets for engineering of plant phenotype, whether in the area of metabolic engineering, abiotic and biotic stresses or plant architecture. KeyPoint^® Mutation Breeding technology subsequently is deployed in order to create extensive novel genetic variation by inducing point mutations in selected lead-genes. The technology generates novel breeding material with improved performance with a very short turn-around time. Examples of the trait development pipeline in corn and soybean will be presented.