Professional Seed Research, Inc. (PSR) offers a conversion service for transgenic and other traits of corn that saves time, money and winter nursery space. The program features more than three generations per year in PSR greenhouses and use of Phenotype Select™ to reduce the number of generations needed to recover the original inbred.

Dr. Jim Dodd, President and owner of PSR, says, “Our Phenotype Select™ is a key force in the conversion process, not only is the technology inexpensive to use, but we are able to screen a large number of plants.  This large number offers a huge advantage at the early stages of backcrossing for quickly recovering the inbred.  Molecular markers on our BC₂ selections show equivalence to BC₅ by traditional methods”.

Companies today use PSR to reduce the pressure on winter nursery sites as well as a less expensive method to quickly complete a conversion.  International companies find the PSR program convenient for transgenic conversions of traits while waiting for their country's trait approval.  Our full conversion service includes the F₁ through BC₄S₂ in a little more than 2 years; allowing our customers to enter and exit at any BC stage. 

In addition, PSR offers a program where companies send 3000K of BC₁ seed and PSR will Phenotype Select™ 15-20 plants close to the recurrent type. Selected plants and the recurrent parent are then shipped (next day) to the desired location for field transplanting. Within two weeks, the selections (4-5 leaf stage-v2) are transplanted anywhere in the U.S., including winter locations.  

Established in 1987, Professional Seed Research Inc. provides Seed Testing, Breeding and Pathology services to over 250 companies worldwide.  PSR’s revolutionary SMF™ Technology has created an inexpensive avenue for seed companies in testing genetic purity, backcrossing traits and developing new inbred lines.