Seed Biotechnology Center 

Loading trucks for rice planting

Disease Control in Rice

The SBC worked with UC Cooperative Extension, the California Rice Experiment Station and the California Rice Research Board to test the efficacy of ozone in controlling Bakanae, a seed-borne disease in rice. Portable ozone generators would allow seeds to be treated in bins as they are soaked prior to seeding. Ozone rates were established with lab and greenhouse assays. Three ozone doses were tested against fungicide and bleach treatments in four field locations in northern California. Data from a single season showed that ozone can decrease Bakanae in rice, although the cost of application currently exceeds that of equally effective chlorine treatments. For additional information see: CA Rice Research Board Bakanae Project

DNA Extraction from Seeds

The SBC worked with seed industry partners to develop and verify high-throughput protocols for DNA extraction from seeds of a wide range of crops and seed types. The SBC developed an efficient system to grind and extract DNA from vegetable seeds. Protocols were developed to extract high-quality DNA from 11 seed types in a high-throughput format. The DNA can be used for variety identification, hybridity screening, marker- assisted selection, or other purposes. This project was funded jointly by a consortium of vegetable seed companies including Rijk Zwaan Breeding BV, DeRuiter Seeds Inc., Harris Moran, Hazera Genetics LTD., Sakata Seeds America, Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Sunseeds and Syngenta AG.

     Seed Extraction Supplement

     High-throughput DNA Extraction from Seeds
     Seed Science & Technology, Volume 34, 741-745
     For information on obtaining the full article go to: Seed Science & Technology