Hybrid seed production and the challenge of propagating male-sterile plants.
The introduction of hybrid crop varieties has enabled spectacular increases in productivity owing to hybrid vigor and increased uniformity. To produce hybrid seeds, a pollination control system is required to prevent unwanted self-pollination. In crop species with hermaphrodite flowers, this can be a major challenge. Over the past decade, new pollination control systems have been developed with the aid of genetic engineering, mainly based on the generation of nuclear-encoded male sterility. The successful application of these systems for large-scale hybrid seed production depends on whether the male-sterile female parent line can be multiplied efficiently and economically. In spite of its relevance, the propagation of the male-sterile line has often been overlooked in the development of pollination control systems.
Perez-Prat
Eva
E
Aventis CropScience N.V., Jozef Plateaustraat 22, B-9000, Gent, Belgium.
van Lookeren Campagne
Michiel M
MM
D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D006540:Herbicides / Q000494:pharmacology; D006823:Hybrid Vigor / Q000235:genetics*; D011058:Pollen / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
D006540:Herbicides