Chemically induced male sterility in common wheat mediated by Aegilops cytoplasm

Several approaches have been proposed, in the past, for the development of hybrid wheat varieties. Nevertheless, common wheat hybrids today account for less than 1% of the world's wheat production. The reason for the limited success of hybrid wheat varieties is the fact that to date, a simple and efficient system for the production of hybrid seed has not been developed. A two-line system using photoperiod-sensitive cytoplasmic male sterility (PCMS) caused by Aegilops crassa Boiss. cytoplasm seems to be very promising way to produce hybrid wheat seed on large scale. Non-desirable side effects of PCMS system are the unreliable sterility of the male sterile lines under different latitudes. Therefore, we tried to connect male sterility system based on Ae. crassa cytoplasm with chemical induction of male sterility. The presented results reveal that the majority of male sterility genes are conserved in the Ae. crassa cytoplasm and that their effects can be promoted by chemical signals, such as synthetic auxins (e.g., 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Our research work represents the development of a novel male sterility system which is controlled by chemical signals (e.g., synthetic auxins and their pro-herbicide analogues) and mediated by Ae. crassa cytoplasm.