Is an egg-killer present in rice?

✍ Scribed by Y. Sano

• Book ID: 104666478
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 423 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0040-5752
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00211059

✦ Synopsis

The genetic model for hybrid sterility that an allelic interaction at the S 5 locus induces the abortion of megaspores has been proposed as partial clarification of the wide compatibility in Asian rice cultivars; this model predicts the presence of an egg-killer. The present study was carried out in order to confirm that the proposed S 5 (i) allele acts as an egg-killer against its counterpart, the S 5 (j) allele, in the Indica-Japonica hybrid. A conspicuous feature of an egg-killer is the high rate of its transmission into the progeny through the egg. Backcrossing experiments were conducted using the Indica-Japonica hybrid in which the S 5 (i) and S 5 (j) alleles were assumed to be involved. Although an egg-killer was easily identified by these backcross experiments, it was not detected in the Indica-Japonica hybrid, which suggests that the proposed genetic mechanism for hybrid sterility in Asian rice should be viewed with caution.