Exploiting Genic Male Sterility in Rice: From Molecular Dissection to Breeding Applications

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) occupies a very salient and indispensable status among cereal crops, as its vast production is used to feed nearly half of the world’s population. Male sterile plants are the fundamental breeding materials needed for specific propagation in order to meet the elevated current food demands. The development of the rice varieties with desired traits has become the ultimate need of the time. Genic male sterility is a predominant system that is vastly deployed and exploited for crop improvement. Hence, the identification of new genetic elements and the cognizance of the underlying regulatory networks affecting male sterility in rice are crucial to harness heterosis and ensure global food security. Over the years, a variety of genomics studies have uncovered numerous mechanisms regulating male sterility in rice, which provided a deeper and wider understanding on the complex molecular basis of anther and pollen development. The recent advances in genomics and the emergence of multiple biotechnological methods have revolutionized the field of rice breeding. In this review, we have briefly documented the recent evolution, exploration, and exploitation of genic male sterility to the improvement of rice crop production. Furthermore, this review describes future perspectives with focus on state-of-the-art developments in the engineering of male sterility to overcome issues associated with male sterility-mediated rice breeding to address the current challenges. Finally, we provide our perspectives on diversified studies regarding the identification and characterization of genic male sterility genes, the development of new biotechnology-based male sterility systems, and their integrated applications for hybrid rice breeding.

Genome Wide Identification and Characterization of Wheat GH9 Genes Reveals Their Roles in Pollen Development and Anther Dehiscence

“…The cis -acting element plays a key role in gene expression as an essential component of the gene promoter region, which assists to understand how the gene responds to external stimulation [ 30 ]. As shown in Figure 2 , 29 categories of cis -element were identified, including light response-related elements, plant growth and development-related elements, hormone-response-related elements and biotic/abiotic adversity stress-related elements ( Figure 2 and Table S2 ).…”

Heterosis and combining ability for floral and yield characters in rice using cytoplasmic male sterility system

“…Heterosis commercialization enhances rice production to cope with continuing global population growth and future food demand ( Huang et al, 2017 ). CMS system is a highly efficient approach to facilitate hybrid seed production and attain high outcrossing potential ( Abbas et al, 2021 ). In the current study, three CMS lines and ten restorers were crossed using lines × tester’s model.…”

Heterosis and Combining Ability For Floral and Yield Characters in Rice Using Cytoplasmic Male Sterility System

“…Heterosis commercialization enhances rice production to cope with continuing global population growth and future food demand (Huang et al 2017). CMS system is a highly e cient tool to facilitate hybrid seed production and attain high outcrossing potential (Abbas et al 2021). In the current study, three CMS lines and ten restorers were crossed using lines x tester's model.…”

“…Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important cereal food crop for almost half of the world's population (Abbas et al 2021). It has valuable nutritional bene ts with high contents of carbohydrates, minerals, calories, protein, and vitamins (Kun et al 2013).…”