Patent Publication Number: US-6211444-B1

Title: Garden bean named ‘10417’

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a new and distinctive garden bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .) variety, designated ‘10417’. There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the program goals. The goal is to combine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. These important traits may include higher seed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance to drought and heat, and better agronomic quality. 
     Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plant reproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and the type of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F 1 , hybrid cultivar, pureline cultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superior individual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective, whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based on mean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of related plants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection, modified pedigree selection, mass selection, and recurrent selection. 
     The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method. Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes for a highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach has been used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars. Various recurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitatively inherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrent selection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination, the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and the number of hybrid offspring from each successful cross. 
     Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation of the efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria vary depending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain from selection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard, overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successful cultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollar expended, etc.). 
     Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared to appropriate standards in environments representative of the commercial target area(s) for three or more years. The best lines are candidates for new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits may be used as parents to produce new populations for further selection. 
     These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing and distribution, usually take from eight to 12 years from the time the first cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is a time-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficient use of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction. 
     A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that are genetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic value is masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors. One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performance relative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standard cultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicated observations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth. 
     The goal of plant breeding is to develop new, unique and superior garden bean cultivars and hybrids. The breeder initially selects and crosses two or more parental lines, followed by repeated selfing and selection, producing many new genetic combinations. The breeder can theoretically generate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing, selfing and mutations. The breeder has no direct control at the cellular level. Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line, or even very similar lines, having the same garden bean traits. 
     Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to the next generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and different geographical, climatic and soil conditions, and further selections are then made, during and at the end of the growing season. The cultivars which are developed are unpredictable. This unpredictability is because the breeder&#39;s selection occurs in unique environments, with no control at the DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures), and with millions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. A breeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resulting lines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion. The same breeder cannot produce the same cultivar twice by using the exact same original parents and the same selection techniques. This unpredictability results in the expenditure of large amounts of research monies to develop superior new garden bean cultivars. 
     The development of new garden bean cultivars requires the development and selection of garden bean varieties, the crossing of these varieties and selection of superior hybrid crosses. The hybrid seed is produced by manual crosses between selected male-fertile parents. These hybrids are selected for certain genetic traits such as pod straightness, erect habit, root structure and disease resistance. Additional data on parental lines, as well as the phenotype of the hybrid, influence the breeder&#39;s decision whether to continue with the specific hybrid cross. 
     Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used to develop cultivars from breeding populations. Breeding programs combine desirable traits from two or more cultivars or various broad-based sources into breeding pools from which cultivars are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new cultivars are evaluated to determine which have commercial potential. 
     Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement of self-pollinating crops. Two parents which possess favorable, complementary traits are crossed to produce an F 1 . An F 2  population is produced by selfing one or several F 1 &#39;s. Selection of the best individuals may begin in the F 2  population; then, beginning in the F 3 , the best individuals in the best families are selected. Replicated testing of families can begin in the F 4  generation to improve the effectiveness of selection for traits with low heritability. At an advanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F 6  and F 7 ), the best lines or mixtures of phenotypically similar lines are tested for potential release as new cultivars. 
     Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simply inherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable homozygous cultivar or inbred line which is the recurrent parent. The source of the trait to be transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After the initial cross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parent are selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrent parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. 
     The single-seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to planting a segregating population, harvesting a sample of one seed per plant, and using the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When the population has been advanced from the F 2  to the desired level of inbreeding, the plants from which lines are derived will each trace to different F 2  individuals. The number of plants in a population declines each generation due to failure of some seeds to germinate or some plants to produce at least one seed. As a result, not all of the F 2  plants originally sampled in the population will be represented by a progeny when generation advance is completed. 
     Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used for different traits and crops can be found in one of several reference books (e.g., Allard, 1960; Simmonds, 1979; Sneep et al., 1979; Fehr, 1987). 
     Proper testing should detect any major faults and establish the level of superiority or improvement over current cultivars. In addition to showing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new cultivar that is compatible with industry standards or which creates a new market. The introduction of a new cultivar will incur additional costs to the seed producer, the grower, processor and consumer; for special advertising and marketing, altered seed and commercial production practices, and new product utilization. The testing preceding release of a new cultivar should take into consideration research and development costs as well as technical superiority of the final cultivar. For seed-propagated cultivars, it must be feasible to produce seed easily and economically. Garden bean,  Phaseolus vulgaris , is an important and valuable vegetable crop. Thus, a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop stable, high yielding garden bean cultivars that are agronomically sound. The reasons for this goal are obviously to maximize the amount of yield produced on the land. To accomplish this goal, the garden bean breeder must select and develop garden bean plants that have the traits that result in superior cultivars. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, there is provided a novel garden bean cultivar, designated ‘10417’. This invention thus relates to the seeds of garden bean cultivar ‘10417’, to the plants of garden bean ‘10417’ and to methods for producing a garden bean plant produced by crossing the garden bean ‘10417’ with itself or another garden bean line. 
     Thus, any such methods using the garden bean variety ‘10417’ are part of this invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid production, crosses to populations, and the like. All plants produced using garden bean variety ‘10417’ as a parent are within the scope of this invention. Advantageously, the garden bean variety could be used in crosses with other, different, garden bean plants to produce first generation (F 1 ) garden bean hybrid seeds and plants with superior characteristics. 
     In another aspect, the present invention provides for single gene converted plants of ‘10417’. The single transferred gene may preferably be a dominant or recessive allele. Preferably, the single transferred gene will confer such traits as herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, male fertility, male sterility, enhanced nutritional quality, and industrial usage. The single gene may be a naturally occurring garden bean gene or a transgene introduced through genetic engineering techniques. 
     In another aspect, the present invention provides regenerable cells for use in tissue culture of garden bean plant ‘10417’. The tissue culture will preferably be capable of regenerating plants having the physiological and morphological characteristics of the foregoing garden bean plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as the foregoing garden bean plant. Preferably, the regenerable cells in such tissue cultures will be embryos, seeds and meristematic cells. Still further, the present invention provides garden bean plants regenerated from the tissue cultures of the invention. 
     DEFINITIONS 
     In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used. In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms, the following definitions are provided: 
     Maturity Date 
     Plants are considered mature when the pods have reached their maximum allowable seed size and sieve size for the specific use intended. This can vary for each end user, e.g., processing at different stages of maturity would be required for different types of consumer beans such as “whole pack,” “cut” or “french style”. The number of days are calculated from a relative planting date which depends on day length, heat units and environmental other factors. 
     Sieve Size (sv) 
     Sieve size 1 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 4.76 cm through 5.76 cm. Sieve size 2 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 5.76 cm through 7.34 cm. Sieve size 3 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 7.34 cm through 8.34 cm. Sieve size 4 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 8.34 cm through 9.53 cm. Sieve size 5 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 9.53 cm through 10.72 cm. Sieve size 6 means pods which fall through a sieve grader which culls out pod diameters of 10.72 cm or larger. 
     Bean Yield (Tons/Acre) 
     The yield in tons/acre is the actual yield of the beans at harvest. 
     Plant Height 
     Plant height is taken from the top of soil to top node of the plant and is measured in centimeters. 
     Allele 
     Allele is any of one or more alternative forms of a gene, all of which alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair of homologous chromosomes. 
     Backcrossing 
     Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a first generation hybrid F 1  with one of the parental genotypes of the F 1  hybrid. 
     Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) 
     Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer to genetic loci that control to some degree numerically representable traits that are usually continuously distributed. 
     Regeneration 
     Regeneration refers to the development of a plant from tissue culture. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Garden bean cultivar ‘10417’ has superior characteristics and was developed from the cross of ‘Trueblue’−‘Labrador’. The F 1  plants were grown in a greenhouse during the Spring of 1991. F 2  selection was made at Sun Prairie, Wis. in the Summer of 1991. The F 3  selections were made in the Summer of 1992 at San Juan Bautista; F 4  plants were selected in California and tested for Common Mosaic Virus in the Fall of 1992; F 5  selections were made and tested for Common Mosaic Virus in the Spring of 1993 in California; F6 selections were made in Summer, 1993 in San Juan Bautista; F 7  plants were selected at Sun Prairie, Wis. in the summer of 1994. F 8  plants were selected and designated ‘10417’ at San Juan Bautista, Calif. in the Summer of 1995. 
     Some of the criteria used to select in various generations include: pod appearance, bean yield, pod set height, emergence, disease tolerance, maturity, and plant height. 
     The cultivar has shown uniformity and stability, as described in the following variety description information. It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations with careful attention to uniformity of plant type. The line has been increased with continued observation for uniformity. 
     Garden bean cultivar ‘10417’ has the following morphologic and other characteristics (based primarily on data collected at San Juan Bautista). 
     VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION 
     1. MARKET MATURITY 
     Days to edible pods: 52 days 
     Number of days earlier than Labrador: 4 days 
     2. PLANT 
     Habit: Determinate 
     Height: 44 cm 
     Shorter than Labrador by 4 cm 
     Spread: 40 cm 
     Plant Shape: Spherical 
     3. LEAVES 
     Size: Medium 
     Color: Medium green 
     4. FLOWER COLOR 
     Color: White 
     5. PODS (edible maturity) 
     Exterior color: Medium dark green 
     Pod Length: 13 cm 
     Distribution of sieve size at optimum maturity: 
     25% 7.34-8.34 mm - Sieve 3 
     55% 8.34-9.53 mm - Sieve 4 
     20% 9.53-10.72 mm - Sieve 5 
     Average Length of 3 sieve: 12.5 cm 
     Average Length of 4 sieve: 13.0 cm 
     6. SEED COLOR 
     Primary color: White 
     7. DISEASE RESISTANCE 
     Bean Common Mosaic Virus (BCMV)—Resistant 
     Anthracose—Resistant 
     This invention is also directed to methods for producing a garden bean plant by crossing a first parent garden bean plant with a second parent garden bean plant, wherein the first or second garden bean plant is the garden bean plant from the line ‘10417’. Further, both first and second parent garden bean plants may be from the cultivar ‘10417’. Therefore, any methods using the cultivar ‘10417’ are part of this invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding, and crosses to populations. Any plants produced using cultivar ‘10417’ as a parent are within the scope of this invention. 
     As used herein, the term “plant” includes plant cells, plant protoplasts, plant cells of tissue culture from which garden bean plants can be regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers, embryos, ovules, seeds, pods, leaves, stems, roots, anthers and the like. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide for cells which upon growth and differentiation produce a cultivar having essentially all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of ‘10417’. 
     Culture for expressing desired structural genes and cultured cells are known in the art. Also as known in the art, garden beans are transformable and regenerable such that whole plants containing and expressing desired genes under regulatory control may be obtained. General descriptions of plant expression vectors and reporter genes and transformation protocols can be found in Gruber, et al., “Vectors for Plant Transformation, in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &amp; Biotechnology” in Glich, et al., (Eds. pp. 89-119, CRC Press, 1993). Moreover GUS expression vectors and GUS gene cassettes are available from Clone Tech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif. while luciferase expression vectors and luciferase gene cassettes are available from Pro Mega Corp. (Madison, Wis.). General methods of culturing plant tissues are provided for example by Maki, et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &amp; Biotechnology, Glich, et al., (Eds. pp. 67-88 CRC Press, 1993); and by Phillips, et al., “Cell-Tissue Culture and In-Vitro Manipulation” in Corn &amp; Corn Improvement, 3rd Edition; Sprague, et al., (Eds. pp. 345-387) American Society of Agronomy Inc., 1988. Methods of introducing expression vectors into plant tissue include the direct infection or co-cultivation of plant cells with  Agrobacterium tumefaciens , Horsch et al., Science, 227:1229 (1985). Descriptions of Agrobacterium vectors systems and methods for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer provided by Gruber, et al., supra. 
     Procedures for garden bean transformation have been described by: McClean, P., et al. (1991): “Susceptibility of Dry Bean ( Phaseolus-Vulgaris L .) to Agrobactenum Infection—Transformation of Cotyledonary and Hypocotyl Tissues.” Plant Cell Tissue Org. Cult. 24(2, February), 131-138. Russell, D. R., et al. (1993): “Stable Transformation of  Phaseolus vulgaris  via Electric-Discharge Mediated Particle Acceleration.” Pl. Cell. Rep. 12(3, January), 165-169. Franklin, C. I., et al. (1993): “Genetic Transformation of Green Bean Callus via Agrobacterium Mediated DNA Transfer.” Pl. Cell. Rep. 12(2, January), 74-79. Aragao, F. J. L., et al. (1992): “Particle Bombardment-Mediated Transient Expression of a Brazil Nut Methionine-Rich Albumin in Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .).” Plant Mol. Biol. 20(2, October), 357-359. Aragao, F. J. L., et al. (1993): “Factors Influencing Transient Gene Expression in Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .) Using an Electrical Particle Acceleration Device.” Pl. Cell. Rep. 12(9, July), 483-490. Francisco Aragao (1996): “Inheritance of foreign genes in transgenic bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .) co-transformed via particle bombardment.” Theor. Appl. Genet. 93: 142-150. Zhang, Z., et al. (1997): “Factors Affecting Agrobacterium—mediated Transformation of Common Bean.” J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 122(3): 300-305. Kim, J.; Minamikawa, T. (1996): “Transformation and regeneration of French bean plants by the particle bombardment process.” Plant Science 117: 131-138. Saker, M.; Kuhne, T. (1997/98): “Production of transgenic kidney bean shoots by electroporation of intact cells.” Biologia Plantarum 40(4): 507-514. 
     Useful methods include but are not limited to expression vectors introduced into plant tissues using a direct gene transfer method such as microprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation and the like. More preferably expression vectors are introduced into plant tissues using the microprojectile media delivery with the biolistic device Agrobacterium-medicated transformation. Transformant plants obtained with the protoplasm of the invention are intended to be within the scope of this invention. 
     The present invention contemplates a garden bean plant regenerated from a tissue culture of a variety (e.g., ‘10417’) or hybrid plant of the present invention. As is well known in the art, tissue culture of garden bean can be used for the in vitro regeneration of a garden bean plant. Tissue culture of various tissues of garden beans and regeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. For example, reference may be had to McClean, P.; Grafton, K. F. (1989): “Regeneration of dry bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) via organogenesis.” Plant Sci. 60,117-122. Mergeai, G.; Baudoin, J. P. (1990): “Development of an in vitro culture method for heart-shaped embryo in  Phaseolus vulgaris .” B.I.C. Invit. Papers 33, 115-116. Vanderwesthuizen, A. J.; Groenewald, E. G. (1990): “Root Formation and Attempts to Establish Morphogenesis in Callus Tissues of Beans ( Phaseolus—Vulgaris L .).” S. Afr. J. Bot. 56(2, April), 271-273. Benedicic, D., et al. (1990): “The regeneration of  Phaseolus vulgaris  plants from meristem culture.” Abst. 5th I.A.P.T.C. Cong. 1, 91 (#A3-33). Genga, A.; Allavena, A. (1990): “Factors affecting morphogenesis from immature cotyledons of  Phaseolus coccineus L. .” Abst. 5th I.A.P.T.C. Cong. 1, 101 (#A3-75). Vaquero, F., et al. (1990): “Plant regeneration and preliminary studies on transformation of  Phaseolus coccineus .” Abst. 5th I.A.P.T.C. Cong. 1,106 (#A3-93). Franklin, C. I., et al. (1991): “Plant Regeneration from Seedling Explants of Green Bean ( Phaseolus-Vulgaris L .) via Organogenesis.” Plant Cell Tissue Org. Cult. 24(3, March), 199-206. Malik, K. A.; Saxena, P. K. (1991): “Regeneration in  Phaseolus-Vulgaris L .—Promotive Role of N6-Benzylaminopurine in Cultures from Juvenile Leaves.” Planta 184(1), 148-150. Genga, A.; Allavena, A. (1991): “Factors affecting morphogenesis from immature cotyledones of  Phaseolus coccineus L .” Plant Cell Tissue Org. Cult. 27, 189-196. Malik, K. A.; Saxena, P. K. (1992): “Regeneration in  Phaseolus vulgaris L .—High-Frequency Induction of Direct Shoot Formation in Intact Seedlings by N-6-Benzylaminopurine and Thidiazuron.” 186 (3, February), 384-389. Malik, K. A.; Saxena, P. K. (1992): “Somatic Embryogenesis and Shoot Regeneration from Intact Seedlings of  Phaseolus acutifolius A ., P. aureus (L.) Wilczek, P. coccineus L., and P. wrightii L.” Pl. Cell. Rep. 11(3, April), 163-168. Chavez, J., et al. (1992): “Development of an in vitro culture method for heart shaped embryo in  Phaseolus polyanthus .” B.I.C. Invit. Papers 35, 215-216. Munoz-Florez, L. C., et al. (1992): “Finding out an efficient technique for inducing callus from  Phaseolus microspores .” B.I.C. Invit. Papers 35, 217-218. Vaquero, F., et al. (1993): “A Method for Long-Term Micropropagation of  Phaseolus coccineus L .” L. Pl. Cell. Rep. 12 (7-8, May), 395-398. Lewis, M. E.; Bliss, F. A. (1994): “Tumor Formation and beta-Glucuronidase Expression in  Phaseolus Vulgaris  Inoculated with Agrobacterium Tumefaciens.” Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 119 (2, March), 361-366. Song, J. Y., et al. (1995): “Effect of auxin on expression of the isopentenyl transferase gene (ipt) in transformed bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .) single-cell clones induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58.” J. Plant Physiol. 146 (1-2, May), 148-154. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce garden bean plants having the physiological and morphological characteristics of variety ‘10417’. 
     The cultivar ‘10417’ has medium dark, attractive pods, with a medium-high pod set height, which are on an erect machine harvestable bush. ‘10417’ is tolerant to Bean Common Mosaic Virus and Anthracnose. ‘10417’ has a concentrated pod set and a uniform pod color when frozen or canned. 
     The cultivar ‘10417’ is similar to ‘Labrador’. While similar to ‘Labrador’, there are numerous differences including: ‘10417’ matures approximately 4 days earlier and is approximately 4 cm shorter than ‘Labrador’. Additionally, ‘10417’ has a spherical plant shape while ‘Labrador’ is a high bush shape. 
     TABLES 
     In Table 1 that follows, the percentage of bean pod with different sieve sizes is shown. The first column lists the variety tested, the second column shows the seed size. Columns 3-6 show the percentage of beans for different sieve sizes 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Column 7 lists the yield in tons per acre and column 8 gives day to maturity. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Seed 
                 % 
                 % 
                 % 
                 Yield 
                 Days to 
               
               
                 Variety 
                 Size 
                 1-3 sv 
                 4 sv 
                 5 sv 
                 T/Acre 
                 Maturity 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 ‘10417’ 
                 8.8 
                 18 
                 50 
                 29 
                 3.31 
                 58 
               
               
                 ‘10417’ 
                 11.4 
                 34 
                 43 
                 21 
                 5.05 
                 50 
               
               
                 ‘10417’ 
                 11.6 
                 11 
                 62 
                 26 
                 7.31 
                 53 
               
               
                 Average 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 5.22 
                 54 
               
               
                 ‘Labrador’ 
                 11.6 
                 28 
                 44 
                 28 
                 1.57 
                 61 
               
               
                 ‘Labrador’ 
                 10.6 
                 33 
                 55 
                 12 
                 3.65 
                 54 
               
               
                 ‘Labrador’ 
                 11.0 
                 19 
                 50 
                 31 
                 5.57 
                 54 
               
               
                 Average 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 3.60 
                 56 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     DEPOSIT INFORMATION 
     A deposit of the Harris Moran Seed Company garden bean 10417 disclosed above and recited in the appended claims has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia 20110. The date of deposit was Dec. 12, 2000. The deposit of 2,500 seeds were taken from the same deposit maintained by Harris Moran Seed Company since prior to the filing date of this application. All restrictions upon the deposit have been removed, and the deposit is intended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. The ATCC accession number is PTA-2774. The deposit will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced as necessary during that period. 
     Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.