The importance of chromosomes from the sixth homeologic group in the restoration of male fertility in winter triticale with Triticum timopheevii cytoplasm

The sterilising cytoplasm from Triticum timopheevii is presently considered to be the most promising as regards to the seed production of triticale hybrid cultivars. This study was aimed at the utilisation of Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) for the preliminary identification of genomic regions with loci controlling male sterility/fertility in the field-grown F(2) generation of the interline hybrid between male sterile line CMS-Salvo 15/1 and restorer line Stan I. The fertility of plants was examined by visual scoring as well as by the assessment of seed setting within bagged spikes. For DNA analyses, 92 individuals representing opposite phenotypes (male sterile vs. fully male fertile) were chosen from the whole F(2) population, which consisted of 414 plants. The constructed genetic map consists of 759 DArT markers distributed in 24 linkage groups that cover a distance of 974.4 cM. Application of the interval mapping method and the Kruskal–Wallis test enabled the identification of six genomic regions engaged in the restoration of male fertility within the mapping population. The most effective restorer genes were found on chromosomes of the sixth homeologic group, i.e. on 6R (the most efficient), 6A and 6B. Additionally, linkage groups assigned to chromosomes 1BS, 3A and 3A/3B were important for the determination of male fertility.