Prediction of combination suitability between dandelion species for rubber yield enhancement by evaluation of NMR metabolite profiles using artificial intelligence (TOMBI)

The demand for natural rubber for the production of tyres and many other rubber articles is increasing worldwide and has so far been covered exclusively from the latex of the tropical rubber tree. It is expected that global demand will no longer be able to be satisfied from this source as early as this decade. To avoid further deforestation of tropical rainforests for rubber plantations, all major tyre manufacturers worldwide are looking for alternative rubber plants.

The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) produces latex of suitable quality. However, the plant is very weak-growing, has small roots and the wild material only shows rubber contents of 2-3 %. Since 2011, a consortium of 15 German companies and institutions - including Continental, ESKUSA GmbH, lifespin GmbH, Fraunhofer IME, Julius-Kühn-Institut (JKI) and WWU Münster - has been working on establishing dandelions as an alternative source of rubber.

The current project is the first to systematically investigate the suitability of combining common dandelion and Russian dandelion. Promising plant material with a wide genetic range is available from the breeder. At the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT), important basic principles of the combination of state-of-the-art data analysis and comprehensive metabolome analyses of the plants are being developed as selection tools for choosing the most suitable crossing partners to breed with. This complements the ongoing work in an essential and purposeful form.

The project is divided into three main points:

1. (A) Selection of suitable dandelion plants from a basic assortment of 70 collected T. officinale populations by the partner ESKUSA. Stocking of plants and provision of analytical samples of all crossing partners for lifespin. Conservation of selected plants.
   (B) Data for the evaluation of rubber content and root mass, as well as all other breeding-relevant traits in cross progenies are processed and delivered to the HSWT.
2. Cross partners are measured by lifespin GmbH using NMR technology (approx. 3000 analyses). In parallel, a reference database with spectra of all relevant ingredients is built up.
3. The analysis of the spectra generated by lifespin GmbH will be carried out at the HSWT in two steps:
   (A) Development of a computer program that identifies and quantifies the metabolites contained in the plants in the one-dimensional 1H-NMR spectra.
   (B) Using the metabolite profiles and the breeder's data, statistical models will be calculated using appropriate artificial intelligence techniques to help understand the underlying biochemical mechanism. On this basis, breeders will be provided with a prognostic tool in the targeted selection of suitable plants.
   

During the project period, a suitable interface between the metabolome data and the genomic data from other projects will also already be created.

Economic benefit

The production of natural rubber in one's own country would not only create a complementary/alternative source of supply, but also lead to the establishment of regional value chains. As natural rubber is considered a strategic raw material with a market volume of around €26 billion in 2020 and which provides the basis for value creation in around 40,000 everyday items, the economic benefit of the proposed project, if successful, is considerable.

Ecological benefits

A new industrial raw material plant grown in its own country helps to reduce the destruction of valuable climate-protecting and extremely biodiverse ecosystems (deforestation of tropical rainforest for the expansion of rubber plantations) elsewhere on earth. At the same time, this new rubber crop leads to agricultural diversification through opportunities for seed, rubber and latex production. Flowering dandelion fields are not only a visually attractive landscape element, they also serve as a food source for various pollinating insects, a breeding ground for skylarks and a nursery for hares, thus not only strengthening biodiversity, but are also an innovative and economically viable renewable resource. Dandelion belongs to the Asteraceae family and expands the usually narrow cereal crop rotations.

Socio-cultural benefits

The cultivation of an industrial raw material plant in one's own country sensitises the consumer to its value and makes connections between raw material production and the use/consumption of consumer goods more tangible. A more mindful use of such goods is the result. Dandelion project partners are already successfully using this effect to draw attention to their products via sustainability strategies (e.g. via the brand name Taraxagum ®).

Scientific and/or technical added value

On the basis of the models to be calculated, insights into the metabolites and networks relevant for high rubber production can be gained. This information in turn contributes to a deeper understanding of the metabolism of plants and thus to knowledge-based breeding. In addition, the algorithms, correlations and data analysis tools developed can also be applied to other issues and species and lay the foundation for an extensive research area at the HSWT, which has numerous greenhouses and cultivation areas for crops.

Practical benefits

The planned computer programme is intended to provide breeders with a prognostic tool in the targeted selection of suitable plants. Breeding can thus be made more efficient and faster and the profitability of dandelion-based natural rubber production can be achieved more quickly. The agricultural sector can thus be provided with a new crop more quickly. Both root production and seed production can be carried out with dandelions regardless of price fluctuations in the natural rubber price, which has been quoted on the stock exchange up to now.