Recently, the research group of genetic engineering and biosafety has made a breakthrough in papaya’s early sex identification by selecting the specific primer combinations for papaya’s sex identification. This technique can help distinguish the dioecism and the hermaphrodite at seed breeding stage of papaya, and can also save time and reduce the treatment cost about RMB 40-60 Yuan per plant by using PCR technique.
Papaya is a typical dioecism and hermaphrodite, commonly the female and hermaphrodite can bear fruit. Meanwhile, hermaphrodite has the most productive value. In conventional cultivation techniques, farmers have to sow 2 to 3 seeds per hole. After 3 to 6 mouths, they can identity the sex of papaya plants, then they remove other sex plants except hermaphrodite. The extra cost is about RMB 40-60 yuan per plant. Therefore, the key technology of papaya’s early sex identification has become a constraint in seeding production.
Dr Jia Ruizong identified the sex gene of papaya which is located on chromosome I. The characteristic gene region of female is X region. Similarly, male has MAY region peculiarly. By using PCR to amplify the sex determination region, one can identify the sex types. Furthermore, this group developed a PCR sex-direction technique to identify the sex types from 100 DNA samples. It took 60s to extract DNA and 2.5 hours to detect. At the moment, the team has signed technical services agreements with several papaya plantation developers.
As reported, the foundational breeding operation of papaya is weak with single variety in China. Most farmer households are more likely to choose tissue culture technology for seedling production. However, the tissue culture technique is strict with water and fertilizer, and has high possibility of widespread outbreak of virus disease, due to all the fibril and same genetic background. The seedlings of papaya produced with the aid of the present technique have taproot, indicating that the seedlings are drought tolerant, wind resistant, vigorous and promise to bear fruit, etc. The breakthrough in papaya’s early sex identification therefore has great significance.
Papaya is a typical dioecism and hermaphrodite, commonly the female and hermaphrodite can bear fruit. Meanwhile, hermaphrodite has the most productive value. In conventional cultivation techniques, farmers have to sow 2 to 3 seeds per hole. After 3 to 6 mouths, they can identity the sex of papaya plants, then they remove other sex plants except hermaphrodite. The extra cost is about RMB 40-60 yuan per plant. Therefore, the key technology of papaya’s early sex identification has become a constraint in seeding production.
Dr Jia Ruizong identified the sex gene of papaya which is located on chromosome I. The characteristic gene region of female is X region. Similarly, male has MAY region peculiarly. By using PCR to amplify the sex determination region, one can identify the sex types. Furthermore, this group developed a PCR sex-direction technique to identify the sex types from 100 DNA samples. It took 60s to extract DNA and 2.5 hours to detect. At the moment, the team has signed technical services agreements with several papaya plantation developers.
As reported, the foundational breeding operation of papaya is weak with single variety in China. Most farmer households are more likely to choose tissue culture technology for seedling production. However, the tissue culture technique is strict with water and fertilizer, and has high possibility of widespread outbreak of virus disease, due to all the fibril and same genetic background. The seedlings of papaya produced with the aid of the present technique have taproot, indicating that the seedlings are drought tolerant, wind resistant, vigorous and promise to bear fruit, etc. The breakthrough in papaya’s early sex identification therefore has great significance.
----By TBBRI
