Production and identification of haploid dwarf male sterile wheat plants induced by corn inducer

BACKGROUND: Using the cross of wheat and maize is a very useful way to produce wheat haploid plants by chromosome elimination. Dwarf male sterile wheat (DMSW) and corn inducer are potential important germplasm for wheat breeding by recurrent selection and doubled haploid strategies. There is no report yet to achieve the haploid plants from DMSW induced by maize inbred line and especially the corn inducer. RESULTS: Haploid plants of DMSW were successfully obtained in this study induced by both maize pollens of inducer line and normal inbred line. The efficiencies for wheat embryos formation and plantlets production induced by the two corn lines had no significant difference. All the eleven haploid wheat plants derived from the male sterile material were identified by botanic appearance, cytology, cytogenetics, and molecular markers. They were all haploid based on their guard cell length of 42.78–42.90 μm compared with the diploid control of 71.52 μm, and their chromosome number of 21 compared with the diploid control of 42. In addition, according to anthers, plant height, and molecular markers, the haploid plants were divided into two types. Eight of them showed dwarf, having no anthers, and the special band of Rht10, and the other three plants displayed normal plant height, having anthers, and not containing the special band of Rht10, indicating that they were originated from the MS2/Rht10 and ms2/rht10 female gametes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MS2/Rht10 haploid plants were successfully obtained in this study by using corn inducer and inbred line, and will be employed as candidate materials for the potential cloning of MS2 dominant male gene. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1999-3110-55-26) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.