Molecular identification of the wheat male fertility gene Ms1 and its prospects for hybrid breeding

Hybrids are widely used for the cereals maize and rice, but it has been a challenge to develop a viable hybrid system for bread wheat due to the wheat genome complexity, both large and hexaploid. This project describes the identification of wheat Male sterile 1 (Ms1), a gene long recognised for its utility in large-scale, low-cost production of male sterile (ms) female lines necessary for hybrid wheat seed production. Ms1 encodes a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored lipid transfer protein, necessary for pollen exine development.