Development of dominant nuclear male-sterile lines with a blue seed markerin durum and common wheat

In order to develop genic male-sterile lines with a blue seed marker, male- sterile plants, controlled by a dominant nuclear gene Ms2, were used as fem ale parents against a 4E disomic addition line 'Xiaoyan Lanli' (2n = 44, AA BBDD+4EII) as the male parent to produce monosomic addition lines with blue seed. Male-sterile plants from the monosomic addition lines were pollinate d with durum wheat for several generations and in 1989 a male-sterile line with the blue grain gene and the male-sterile gene Ms2 on the same addition al chromosome was detected and named line 89-2343. Using this line, the blu e seed marker was successfully added to a short male-sterile line containin g Ms2 and Rht10. The segregation ratios of male sterility and seed colour a s well as the chromosome figurations of different plants indicated that the blue grain genes, Ms2 and Rht10 were located on the same additional chromo some. Cytological analysis showed that the blue marker male-sterile lines i n durum wheat and common wheat were monosomic with an additional chromosome 4E. The inheritance ratio for blue seed male-sterile plants and white seed male-fertile plants was 19.7% and 80.3%, respectively, in common wheat. Th e potential for using blue marker sterile lines in population improvement a nd hybrid production is discussed.