Intellectual Property Office

Non-Confidential Disclosures

“Alteration of Plant Self-Compatibility Using Genetic Manipulation of the S-genes”

PSU Inv. Disc. No 1317
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Keywords:

Agricultural and horticultural cultivars, selffertilization, seed production, plant gene

Links:

Issued U.S. Patent No. 5,585,543
Inventor Website

Inventors:

T-H. Kao

Background:

Please view the 1994 published article in Letters to Nature. This will describe the invention in detail.

As this publication illustrates, Dr. Kao has identified the plant gene responsible for self-incompatibility in petunias. By neutralizing the incompatibility gene with standard genetic-engineering techniques, Dr. Kao has reversed the petunias inherited inability to fertilize themselves and enabled these plants to produce seeds. Dr. Kao also demonstrated the ability to confer on non-self-fertilizing plants the ability to reject pollen that is normally accepted by the plants. This result implies that it is possible to transform self-fertilizing plants into non-self-fertilizing plants.

Invention description:

The inventor believes that this technology may have commercial value in the agricultural and horticultural industries, in that self-fertilizing cultivated species can be transformed to non-self-fertilizing cultivars for F1 hybrid seed production, and non-self-fertilizing fruit trees can be transformed into self-fertilizing fruit trees for fruit production. The following plants are believed to be suitable hosts for this technology; tomatoes, tobacco, peppers, potatoes, egg plants, apple, peach and cherry trees.

Advantages/Applications:

• Commercial potential for agricultural and horticultural industries in that self-fertilizing cultivated species can be transformed to non-self-fertilizing cultivars for F1 hybrid seed production, and non-self-fertilizing fruit trees can be transformed into self-fertilizing fruit trees for fruit production.
• The following plants are believed to be suitable hosts for this technology; tomatoes, tobacco, peppers, potatoes, egg plants, apple, peach and cherry trees.

Contact:

Mr. Matthew Smith
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 863-1122
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail:mds126@psu.edu