New male sterile Cichorium spp. mutant, parts or derivatives, where male sterility is due to a nuclear recessive mutation linked to a polymorphic genetic marker, useful for producing mutant F1 hybrids of Cichorium spp.

NOVELTY - A male sterile Cichorium spp. mutant, parts or derivatives, where male sterility is due to a nuclear recessive mutation (ms) linked to a polymorphic genetic marker comprising a simple sequence repeat (TC)n in fully defined 42 bp (SEQ ID NO: 1) or fully defined 97 bp (SEQ ID NO: 2), given in the specification, and the progeny, where the progeny is at least heterozygous for the ms mutation, is new. USE - The male sterile Cichorium spp. mutant, parts or derivatives, polymorphic genetic marker, methods and kit are useful for the selection of mutant Cichorium spp. plants that are homozygous or heterozygous for a mutation inducing nuclear recessive male sterility (ms); for the production of mutant male sterile seed parents of Cichorium spp.; and for the production of mutant F1 hybrids of Cichorium spp. (all claimed). ADVANTAGE - The male sterile Cichorium spp. mutant, parts or derivatives and methods effectively produce plants with improved economical and agricultural properties. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are: (1) a polymorphic genetic marker comprising SEQ ID NO: 1, the marker being linked to a locus of nuclear recessive male sterile mutation (ms) in Cichorium spp; (2) a method for the selection of mutant Cichorium spp. plants that are homozygous or heterozygous for a mutation inducing nuclear recessive male sterility (ms) linked to a polymorphic genetic marker comprising a simple sequence repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 comprising: genotyping the simple sequence repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 in the DNA of Cichorium spp. plants or parts; comparing the genotypes thus obtained to a male sterile genotype of reference (msms) for the simple sequence repeat (TC)n; and selecting the plants having at least one allele of the repeat where n is equal to the n of the male sterile genotype of reference; (3) a method for the production of mutant male sterile seed parents of Cichorium spp. where the male sterility is a nuclear recessive male sterility due to mutation of a nuclear gene (ms) linked to a polymorphic genetic marker comprising a simple sequence repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2, comprising: genotyping the simple sequence repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 in the DNA of Cichorium spp. plants or parts; comparing the genotypes thus obtained to a male-sterile genotype of reference (msms) for the simple sequence repeat (TC)n; and selecting the plants having both alleles of the repeat where n is equal to the n of the male sterile genotype of reference; (4) a method for the production of mutant F1 hybrids of Cichorium spp. where the hybrids are fertile and heterozygous for a mutation in a gene inducing nuclear recessive male sterility (ms) linked to a polymorphic genetic marker comprising a Simple Sequence Repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2, comprising: genotyping the Simple Sequence Repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 in the DNA of Cichorium spp. plants or parts; comparing the genotypes thus obtained to a male-sterile genotype of reference (ms/ms) for the Simple Sequence Repeat (TC)n; selecting the plants having both alleles of the repeat where n is equal to the n of the male sterile genotype of reference thus obtaining male sterile seed parent plants; selecting plants having both alleles of the repeat where n is different from the n of the male sterile genotype of reference thus obtaining a pollen donor plant; and crossing the seed parent plants with the pollen donor plants and collecting the F1 thus obtained; (5) plants or parts or elaborates selected according to the methods above; and (6) a kit for carrying out the methods comprising one or more aliquot of oligonucleotides and optionally reagents for the genotyping of the Simple Sequence Repeat (TC)n in SEQ ID NO: 1 or in SEQ ID NO: 2.