Feasibility of breeding male-sterile populations for use in developing inter-population hybrids of pearl millet

摘要

Inter!population hybrids of pearl millet Pennisetum `laucum "L[# R[udBr[ have a substantial grain yield advantage over open!pollinated var!udieties that makes them an appropriate and economically viable prop!udosition for many African agricultural situations provided that stableudmale!sterile populations can be developed for use as seed parents[ Theudobjective of this research was to examine the feasibility of breedingudstable male!sterile populations using the d1 dwarf version of NigerianudComposite NCD1 and the A3 cytoplasmic�nuclear male sterility systemudas a test case[ Results showed that two cycles of recurrent selection forudsterility maintenance ability led to the development of a fully e}ectiveudmaintainer version of NCD1[ There was no signi_cant di}erenceudbetween the original C9 cycle bulk and the C2 cycle bulk "developedudfrom the third and _nal cycle of recurrent selection# for grain yieldudand other agronomic traits[ The male!sterile population at the thirdudbackcross stage developed from the maintainer version of NCD1 hadudas high a level of stable male sterility as the A0 system commercialudinbred male!sterile line 730A0[ Thus it is concluded that with the useudof the A3 cytoplasmic male!sterile system it would be possible rapidlyudto develop a maintainer version of any population without detrimentalude}ects on grain yield and agronomic traits[ Male sterility of populationsuddeveloped from these maintainers will be highly stable paving the wayudfor their e}ective utilization as seed parents in breeding inter!populationudhybrids[