Development of dominant nuclear male‐sterile lines with a blue seed marker in durum and common wheat

Abstract

In order to develop genic male-sterile lines with a blue seed marker, male-sterile plants, controlled by a dominant nuclear gene Ms2, were used as female parents against a 4E disomic addition line`Xiaoyan Lanli' (2n 44, AABBDD4EII) as the male parent to produce monosomic addition lines with blue seed. Male-sterile plants from the monosomic addition lines were pollinated with durum wheat for several generations and in 1989 a male-sterile line with the blue grain gene and the male-sterile gene Ms2 on the same additional chromosome was detected and named line 89-2343. Using this line, the blue seed marker was successfully added to a short male-sterile line containing Ms2 and Rht10. The segregation ratios of male sterility and seed colour as well as the chromosome ®gurations of dierent plants indicated that the blue grain genes, Ms2 and Rht10 were located on the same additional chromosome. Cytological analysis showed that the blue marker malesterile lines in durum wheat and common wheat were monosomic with an additional chromosome 4E. The inheritance ratio for blue seed male-sterile plants and white seed male-fertile plants was 19.7% and 80.3%, respectively, in common wheat. The potential for using blue marker sterile lines in population improvement and hybrid production is discussed.

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of wheat-Thinopyrum ponticum translocations bearing blue-grained gene(s) induced by r-ray

“…For this reason, transferring the blue-grain gene(s) to wheat chromosomes via translocations might enhance its utilization and hence has attracted priority interest of scientists. Attempts were made in marking male sterility character by the blue aleurone (Ji & Deng, 1985;Tian & Liu, 2001), but it seemed more efforts are needed to achieve desirable expects. Additionally, some blue-grained wheat lines involving chromosomal rearrangements were reported (Li et al, 2004;Morrison et al, 2004).…”