Unlocking secrets of fertility restoration for hybrid breeding in crops

杂交品种比传统品种产量更高、更稳定，但对于小麦或大麦等经济上重要的作物来说，仍然缺乏一种成本效益高的商业规模杂交种子生产系统。通过阐明一种新型恢复基因的作用方式，再加上利用古老或外来的小麦和大麦收藏品，该项目将揭示小麦和大麦育性恢复的基本机制。拟议研究的预期成果有可能为小麦和大麦的杂交种子生产计划提供新的工具。更高和更稳定的杂交产量将确保粮食安全，面对不确定的气候和不断增长的人口。

Hybrid varieties give higher and more stable yields than conventional lines, but a cost-effective system to make hybrid seed on a commercial scale is still missing for economically important crops like wheat or barley. By elucidating the mode of action of a new type of restorer gene plus exploiting ancient or exotic wheat and barley collections this project will reveal aspects of largely understudied mechanisms underlying fertility restoration in wheat and barley. The expected outcomes of the proposed research have the potential to deliver new tools for hybrid seed production programs in wheat and barley. Higher and more stable yields from hybrids will ensure food security in the face of an uncertain climate and growing human population.