Stigma longevity is not a major limiting factor in hybrid wheat seed production.

ABSTRACT: Hybrids offer a promising approach to improve crop performance because the progeny are often superior to their parent lines and they outyield inbred varieties. A major challenge in producing hybrid progeny in wheat, however, lies in the inefficient fertilization of maternal parent ovaries by airborne pollen from male donor lines. This is often attributed to suboptimal synchronization of male and female flowering, as delayed pollination can result in reproductive failure due to female stigma deterioration. To test this accepted dogma, we examined the seed set capacity of six male-sterile (MS) cultivars, each varying in the onset of stigma deterioration. To mimic a hybrid seed production scenario, MS cultivars were grown during two consecutive field seasons, and open pollination was allowed

SUBMITTER: Millan-Blanquez M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12448884 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature