Male sterility and somatic hybridization in plant breeding

LAURA EVANGELINA GARCIA; EDERA ALEJANDRO; MARFIL CARLOS; MARIA VIRGINIA SANCHEZ PUERTA

REVISTA DE LA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS AGRARIAS DE LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CUYO

UNIV NACIONAL CUYO

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2019

0370-4661

Plant male sterility refers to the failure in the production of fertile pollen. It occursspontaneously in natural populations and may be caused by genes encoded in thenuclear (genic male sterility; GMS) or mitochondrial (cytoplasmic male sterility; CMS)genomes. This feature has great agronomic value for the production of hybrid seeds andhas been widely used in crops, such as corn, rice, wheat, citrus, and several species ofthe family Solanaceae. Mitochondrial genes determining CMS have been uncovered in awide range of plant species. The modes of action of CMS have been classified in terms ofthe effect they produce in the cell, which ultimately leads to a failure in the production ofpollen. Male fertility can be restored by nuclear-encoded genes, termed restorer-of-fertility (Rf) factors. CMS from wild plants has been transferred to species of agronomicinterest through somatic hybridization. Somatic hybrids have also been produced togenerate CMS de novo upon recombination of the mitochondrial genomes of two parentalplants or by separating the CMS cytoplasm from the nuclear Rf alleles.