Identification of the Putative Cytoplasmic Donor of a CMS System in Brassica juncea

Chloroplast (cp) and mitochondrial (mt) DNA restriction profiles of a cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line of Brassica juncea and its maintainer line were compared and found to be markedly different. Comparison of cpDNA restriction profiles of fifty different species of genus Brassica and some allied genera showed that the cpDNA profiles of CMS lines were similar to that of B. tournefortii for twenty different restriction endonucleases. This CMS system is thus not of spontaneous origin as reported earlier, but is alloplasmic in nature. Comparison of restriction profiles of mtDNA of B. tournefortii and CMS lines revealed some differences which might either be due to changes in DNA pattern during the transfer, or, due to the cytoplasm coming from a B. tournefortii line different from the one used in this study.     

棉花质核不育材料晋A的发现与观察

发现并系统观察了棉花雄性不育材料晋Ａ。通过镜检、自交、测交、回交、开放授粉和网罩试验表明，此材料不育性完全而稳定，陆地棉品种可作其完全保持系，海岛棉品种可使其育性恢复，是我国新发现的又一质核不育材料。其不育胞质来自陆地棉，但与其它胞质系不同，这一发现为棉花三系配套、实现产量上的突破提供了新的胞质基因源。     

Genetic studies on the interspecific cytoplasm substitution lines of an Asian perennial strain of Oryza rufipogon Griff. and O. glaberrima Steud.

Summary It is shown that the restorer gene Rf _j extracted from the Japanese rice variety Akebono is effective on pollen restoration in the cytoplasm substitution line having the nucleus of Oryza glaberrima and japonica or indica cytoplasm of O. sativa, and is of the sporophytic type.The Asian perennial type of the wild rice species O. rufipogon is considered to be the progenitor of O. sativa. Two substitution lines having the cytoplasm of a perennial strain of O. rufipogon from Sri Lanka and the nucleus of O. glaberrima with or without the gene Rf _j in homozygous condition have been bred by means of successive backcrosses. These lines have now reached the BC₅ generation. Plants of the lines resemble morphologically the recurrent parent, but do not show pollen restoration, indicating that the cytoplasm of the rufipogon strain induced male sterility and that the gene Rf _j does not act as the restorer.     

Cytological and genetical studies of a male sterile celery

Summary The inheritance and nature fo male sterility of a cerley (Apium graveolens L.) strain (MS1) is reported. Male sterility in MS1 is determined by a a recessive genotype for a single locus. Tests for linkage with the isozyme chromosome markers SDH-1 and PGM-1 were negative. MS1 male sterility was associated with a defective tapetum characterized by prominent vacuoles and premature degeneration. The stamens in the male sterile strain persisted in the flowers up to stigma receptivity, while in the male fertile plants they dropped before style expansion. The male sterile flowers produced normal amounts of nectar, resulting in cross pollination by various species of pollinators. It was estimated that the sterile strain produced 30% less seed than normal male fertile. Its possible use for hybrid celery seed production is discussed.Research supported by grants from the California Celery Research Board and BARD I-483-82.     

Characterization of cytoplasmic male sterility in Petunia hybrida. I. Localization,composition and activity of esterases

Summary Anthers of male fertile, cytosterile and restored male fertile clones of Petunia hybrida were compared for esterase activity and composition in subsequent stages of microsporogenesis. Three methods were applied (i) ultra-thin layer isoelectric focussing on polyacryl amide gels, (ii) quantitative spectrophotometrical assay, (iii) histochemical determination of total esterase activity associated to the azo-coupling method (Pearse, 1972).In male fertile and restorer idiotypes the isozyme patterns were quite similar. Both the number and intensity of bands increased gradually till the tetrad stage. In contrast, esterase activity in cytosterile anthers remained at a low level and hardy any new bands showed up in later stages. This unvariable, low activity level in cytosterile anthers was also found in the spectrophotometric assay. Histochemical determinations revealed that in male fertile anthers esterase activity is concentrated in the outer tapetal layer at late prophase and that it accumulates there till the early microspore stage. In male sterile anthers esterase accumulation in the tapetal cells stops at the moment that tapetal breakdown becomes visible. This suggests that differences in esterase activity and composition are an effect rather than a cause of the failing pollen formation.     

Genetic and cytogenetic studies with a male sterile mutant of common wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Summary Genetic and cytogenetic studies were done on a male sterile mutant of the wheat variety Probus. Association of the 4A chromosome carrying the ms gene was studied in the F₁ of the male sterile Probus with Chinese Spring ditelo 4AS, with Transec and with line T4AS-DRS respectively. The presumption that the genetic male sterility of the mutant was due to a terminal deletion of the short arm of chromosome 4A could be confirmed.Linkage studies showed that the ms gene was at 17 map units from the dwarfing gene (Rht3) of Minister dwarf. This allows selection of short male sterile plants at the seedling stage.     

Gibberellins as gametocides for the common onion (Allium cepa L.). III. GA4+7 and pollen viability

Summary The gametocidal effect of GA₄₊₇ in onion is strong in respect of pollen production but very weak or absent in respect of pollen viability. Large scale application of GA₄₊₇ for the production of onion hybrid seed is still impossible because of low seed yield and high costsof required chemicals. On a small scale, however. GA₄₊₇ can be used very well to emasculate breeding material.Because of switching over to the gibberellin terminology of plant physiologists, this title slightly deviates from that of the two previous articles.     

K—19型小麦雄性不育系的创建及其育性恢复源的发现

以粘果山羊草Ａｅ．１９（Ａｅ．ｋｏｔｓｃｈｙｉ，１９）为母本，中国春和云南铁壳小麦为桥梁亲本，进行远缘杂交，获得雄性不育株。再用普通麦７８－１等为轮回亲本，与其测交并连续回交，育成了Ｋ－１９－７８－１Ａ等小麦雄性不育系。然后用５００余份普通小麦品种（系）与Ｋ－１９－７８－１Ａ进行测交，获得４６９个组合Ｆ１杂种，其中７３个测交种（占总数的１５．５７％）能完全保持Ｋ－１９型小麦的雄性不育性。其余３９６个测交种（占总数的８４．４３％）对Ｋ－１９型小麦雄性不育系表现不同程度的育性恢复。恢复度幅度为１．０％～９７．５％。３９６份材料中有１４．１４％对Ｋ－１９型不育系表现高度恢复，按国内法计算恢复度达到８０．１％～９７．５％；测交、回交后代产生单倍体频率在０～１７．５％之间，发现一批综合性状好、不产生单倍体的保持系和恢复源。     

Restriction analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of male-sterile and maintainer lines of pearl millet, Pennisetum americanum L.

Mitochondrial DNA from two pairs of cytoplasmic male-sterile (cms) and maintainer lines of pearl millet was investigated by restriction-enzyme analysis and Southern-blot hybridization using three mitochondrial gene probes. Each pair of male-sterile and maintainer lines was of a different nuclear origin. The objective was to distinguish differences in the DNA base-sequence organization of the mitochondrial genomes of cms and maintainer lines from the two sources. Restriction-enzyme analysis revealed differences between the different cms and maintainer lines. Southern-blot hybridization experiments using cloned mitochondrial gene probes further distinguished differences between different lines. It is expected that the restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms revealed in the Southern-blot-hybridization experiments will be useful in distinguishing and classifying cms and maintainer lines obtained from different nuclear backgrounds.     

Height,competition and yield potential in winter wheat

Summary A monogenic dominant male sterility is used for hybrid production in autumn and winter cauliflower. The ratio of male sterile plants in the backcross progenies of autumn cauliflower was 1:1 over five years (1987–1991). However, a significant deficit of male sterile plants was observed in the winter type over the same period.The influence of the temperature on the male sterile phenotype was studied within backcross progenies planted inside polythene tunnels. Six classes of phenotype were defined during the flowering period (from May to November). At low temperature, some male sterile plants developed partial to complete male fertility, whereas at high temperature, male fertile plants became male sterile.Segregation among the progenies of self-pollinated unstable male sterile plants did not deviate from the expected 3:1 ratio. Plants homozygous for the male sterility allele have been revealed by test crosses with a male fertile plant.For use in seed production, stable male sterile plants are vegetatively maintained; however, crossing lines isogenic except at the MS locus would allow male sterile plants to be raised from seed.