Various methods and compositions are provided for identifying and/or selecting a sorghum plant or germplasm with or without a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) trait. In certain embodiments, the method comprises detecting at least one allele of one or more marker locus within or linked to a QTL associated with CMS. In further embodiments, the method comprises crossing a selected sorghum plant with a recurrent sorghum parent plant and selecting progeny with CMS.

The present invention relates to plant hybrid cross testing, such as in cereal crops such as Triticum, preferably Triticum aestivum. The invention in particular relates to methods for evaluating test crosses, in particular for evaluating heterosis and/or (general and/or specific) combining ability by using male sterile plants, which allows the use of small scale planting schemes comprising a limited number of parallel rows of tester and breeding lines.

This invention describes a new method of grain production in corn wherein a designated female corn plant is pollinated with designated male corn plant pollen from an unrelated genetic background. In the method, a designated female plant having both female and male components is grown. Intentional pollination may occur on one more days, is intentional, and occurs at a time when male components are not male sterile and are not shedding pollen. Accordingly, the process involves the intentional delivery of unrelated designated male plant pollen at will, as available either in a preserved pollen bank or real-time collection from male plants as they become available, in a growth chamber for example. The delivered designated male plant pollen is in such amounts and fortuitously timed that it preferentially cross-pollinates the designated female plant.

This invention describes a new method to increase grain yields in any crop plant by modifying pollination to effect an increase in grain yield, a change in grain content or characteristics, a decrease in contamination, or a combination of these attributes. The process involves the intentional delivery of pollen of the male plant at will via automatic or semi-automatic means, as available either in a preserved pollen bank, or real-time collection from male plants as they become available, in a growth chamber for example. Desired pollen is delivered to fertile females. The delivered pollen.sup.M is in such amounts and fortuitously timed that it preferentially pollinates the females and avoids self-pollination or pollination from neighboring plants. The intentional delivery of genetically different pollen will result in increased heterosis and accompanying grain yield increases resulting from increased grain size and the potential to influence grain content and constituents. The invention also permits real-time agronomic decision making in order to maximize grain yield by overcoming biotic and abiotic challenges in the growing season which may or may not have been anticipated.

A breeding method of a polyploid rice two-line restorer line includes determining hybrid parents for breeding the restorer line; breeding a restorer line of an indica sterile/japonica restorer type, or breeding a restorer line of a japonica sterile/indica restorer type, and carrying out backcrossing or composite hybridization after hybridization of the parents; selecting a single plant that meets the breeding goal, carrying out composite hybridization again and carrying out preliminary molecular marker detection; comparing, and selecting a single plant with good traits for continuous selfing until the line is basically stable; selecting a stable line with good traits and detection molecular markers; carrying out test-crossing on the preferred line as a male parent with different types of polyploid sterile lines; and selecting a good hybrid combination and a restorer line thereof.

Methods are described for selecting or producing a cereal plant comprising a functional restorer gene for wheat G-type cytoplasmic male sterility and nucleic acids and/or polypeptides for use therein.

A cytoplasmic male sterile triticale cultivar, designated 343CMS, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of triticale cultivar 343CMS, to the plants of triticale 343CMS, and to methods for producing a triticale plant produced by crossing the cultivar 343CMS with itself or another triticale variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a triticale plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic triticale plants and plant parts produced by those methods. The invention also relates to triticale varieties or breeding varieties and plant parts derived from triticale cultivar 343CMS, to methods for producing other triticale varieties, lines or plant parts derived from triticale cultivar 343CMS, and to the triticale plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid triticale seeds and plants produced by crossing the cultivar 343CMS with another triticale cultivar.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for identifying, selecting and/or producing a maize plant or plant part having increased fertility. A maize plant or plant part that has been identified, selected and/or produced by any of the methods of the present invention is also provided.

The present invention uses the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to rapidly create a male sterile line of tomato and application thereof, The present invention uses the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to edit the Solyc03g053130 gene of tomato, and then obtains a male sterile mutant which is homozygous and does not contain the CAS9 transgene by self-crossing. The present invention also discloses a method for assisting in identification of a male sterile plant, which is to detect the genotype of SNP1606 in the Solyc03g053130 gene in the genome of tomato, and if the genotype of SNP1606 of the genome of the tomato to be tested is homozygous T/T, the tomato to be tested is a male sterile plant or is a candidate male sterile plant. The male sterile line of tomato and the method for detecting male sterile plants created by the present invention can be applied to other tomato strains, and have great application prospect and economic value in breeding.

The methods and compositions described herein relate to maintainer lines (e.g, male-fertile lines) for producing or propogation of plants with a male-sterile phenotype.