Male sterility systems in major field crops and their potential role in crop improvement

Abstract

Male sterility is a phenomenon where the male reproductive parts of the plants do not develop normally and fail to participate in sexual reproduction. The male sterility is of different kinds and can arise through a number of biological abnormalities. Among these, cytoplasmic nuclear male sterility has been extensively used by plant breeders to achieve breakthrough in the productivity of various field and horticultural crops through the development of hybrid cultivars. The impact of this technology is visible in crops like maize, rice, sorghum, pearl millet, etc., and this has helped in encountering the challenges of global food security. Among high-protein legumes, the world’s first hybrid was released recently with record 3–4 t/ha of grain yield. This chapter briefly discusses the types of male sterility systems available in different crop species and their potential uses. Besides this, various methods of creating different male sterility systems are also described.