Low saturated-fat sunflower and associated methods

1. A method of producing a sunflower plant comprising a seed oil trait and a desired trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and resistance to bacterial disease, fungal disease, or viral disease, the method comprising:

crossing a sunflower plant of a first sunflower cultivar with a sunflower plant of a second sunflower cultivar to produce F 1 progeny plants,

wherein the first sunflower cultivar produces seed having a seed oil trait selected from the group consisting of (i) a seed oil fatty acid content comprising 10% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content and 15% or more linoleic acid content, and (ii) a seed oil fatty acid content comprising 3.3% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content,

wherein the genome of the first sunflower cultivar comprises the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:13, comprising a cytosine at position 60 of the polynucleotide, a guanine at position 181 of the polynucleotide, a cytosine at position 258 of the polynucleotide, and a thymine at position 261 of the polynucleotide, and

wherein the second sunflower cultivar comprises a desired trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and resistance to bacterial disease, fungal disease, or viral disease; and

selecting a progeny plant that has the desired trait and produces seed having the seed oil trait, wherein the selected progeny plant and the seed oil derived thereof comprises in its genome the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 13, comprising a cytosine at position 60 of the polynucleotide, a guanine at position 181 of the polynucleotide, a cytosine at position 258 of the polynucleotide, and a thymine at position 261 of the polynucleotide, thereby producing a selected progeny plant comprising the seed oil trait and the desired trait.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 10% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content and 15% or more linoleic acid content.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.3% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.0% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the genome of the first sunflower cultivar comprises the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, comprising an adenine at position 299 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 364 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 439 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and an adenine at position 457 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and

wherein the selected progeny plant and seed oil derived thereof comprises in its genome the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, comprising an adenine at position 299 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 364 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 439 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and an adenine at position 457 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:18.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 10% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content and 15% or more linoleic acid content.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.3% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.0% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

9. The method according to claim 1 , the method further comprising:

backcrossing said selected progeny plant with a sunflower plant of the first sunflower cultivar to produce backcross progeny plants;

selecting at least one backcross progeny plant that has the desired trait and produces seed having the seed oil trait, wherein the selected backcross progeny plant and the seed oil derived thereof comprises in its genome the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 13, comprising a cytosine at position 60 of the polynucleotide, a guanine at position 181 of the polynucleotide, a cytosine at position 258 of the polynucleotide, and a thymine at position 261 of the polynucleotide; and

repeating the backcrossing step and the backcrossing selection step three or more times, thereby producing a selected fourth or higher backcross progeny plant comprising the seed oil trait and the desired trait.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 10% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content and 15% or more linoleic acid content.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.3% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.0% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

13. The method according to claim 9 ,

wherein the genome of the first sunflower cultivar comprises the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, comprising an adenine at position 299 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 364 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 439 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and an adenine at position 457 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18,

wherein the selected progeny plant and the seed oil derived thereof comprises in its genome the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, comprising an adenine at position 299 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 364 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 439 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and an adenine at position 457 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and

wherein the selected fourth or higher backcross progeny plant and the seed oil derived thereof comprises in its genome the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, comprising an adenine at position 299 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 364 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, a cytosine at position 439 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18, and an adenine at position 457 of the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 18.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 10% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content and 15% or more linoleic acid content.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.3% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the seed oil trait is a seed oil fatty acid profile comprising 3.0% or less total combined palmitic acid and stearic acid content.