title: Cytoplasmic-genetic male sterility gene provides direct evidence for some hybrid rice recently evolving into weedy rice.
abstract: Weedy rice infests paddy fields worldwide at an alarmingly increasing rate. There is substantial evidence indicating that many weedy rice forms originated from or are closely related to cultivated rice. There is suspicion that the outbreak of weedy rice in China may be related to widely grown hybrid rice due to its heterosis and the diversity of its progeny, but this notion remains unsupported by direct evidence. We screened weedy rice accessions by both genetic and molecular marker tests for the cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) genes (Wild abortive, WA, and Boro type, BT) most widely used in the production of indica and japonica three-line hybrid rice as a diagnostic trait of direct parenthood. Sixteen weedy rice accessions of the 358 tested (4.5%) contained the CMS-WA gene; none contained the CMS-BT gene. These 16 accessions represent weedy rices recently evolved from maternal hybrid rice derivatives, given the primarily maternal inheritance of this trait. Our results provide key direct evidence that hybrid rice can be involved in the evolution of some weedy rice accessions, but is not a primary factor in the recent outbreak of weedy rice in China.
authors.affiliation: Weed Research Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Jingxu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics &Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Zuomei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Weed Research Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Weed Research Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing 100193,China.
authors.forename: Yufa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: 1] Weed Research Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China [2] Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Copenhagen, Hojebakkegaard Allé 13, Taastrup, DK-2630, Denmark.
authors.forename: Bernal E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Valverde
authors.affiliation: Weed Research Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiang
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D012275:Oryza / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D011058:Pollen / Q000235:genetics