title: A rapid, single leaf assay for detecting the presence of 'S'-male-sterile cytoplasm in maize.
abstract: A simple, rapid, and reproducible assay is described for determining unambiguously the presence of S-type cytoplasm in male-sterile and male-fertile (restored) maize lines. Because the assay requires only 0.5 g leaf segment per sample, it is a single plant assay and the plant is not destroyed. Plants at any developmental stage can be used. The assay involves a 30 sec homogenization, 20 min centrifugation, one hour lysis, overnight agarose electrophoresis, 30 min gel staining, and photography of the gel to produce a result in much less than 24 hr. Many samples can be assayed simultaneously. The various assay methods available for classifying maize cytoplasms are compared and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytogenetics, Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, England.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kemble