Molecular Marker Aided Selection of Restorer of Fertility (Rf/rf) Alleles to Develop Maintainer Lines in Sunflower

Abstract

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), one of the main oil crops in the world, is also increasingly used for its ornamental value. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) helps identify desired traits through molecular markers linked to specific genes, speeding up the breeding process. In sunflower breeding, dominant and codominant markers are used to detect Rf1/rf1 alleles for the selection of plants carrying maintainer and/or restorer (Rf) nuclei. In a breeding program, the status of Rf/rf alleles in the nucleus of the maintainer (B) lines cannot be ascertained without a test-cross due to the presence of fertile cytoplasm. The aim of this study was to test the utilization of the SCAR markers linked to Rf/rf alleles in sunflower to test if the markers can be integrated into a breeding program to develop maintainer lines. The plant materials included restorer and maintainer lines, as well as backcross and test-cross populations segregating for Rf/rf alleles. The markers (PPR621.5) have proven to be valuable for MAS in sunflower breeding. The Rf/rf specific dominant markers were used with the atp9 internal control marker to differentiate PCR failure from the absence of an allele. The markers were also phenotypically confirmed using advanced lines, BC1F1, BC2F1, and BC1F2, as well as test-cross populations. The application of SCAR markers in developing new restorer and maintainer lines can enable efficient determination of Rf/rf allele status, thereby eliminating the need for test crosses in maintainer nuclei and significantly enhancing breeding efficiency. Detection of Rf/rf alleles by molecular markers in maintainer populations with fertile cytoplasm may help reduce cost and breeding time to develop maintainer lines.

Keywords

• CMS
• Maintainer
• MAS
• Sunflower

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