A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Unique to the Galanthum-CMS of Onion

Different sources of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) are used to produce hybrid onion seed. The most commonly used source of CMS in onion is S cytoplasm (S-CMS), and male fertility is restored by a dominant allele at the nuclear male-fertility restoration locus (Ms). Male-sterile plants possess S cytoplasm and have the homozygous recessive genotype at Ms; seed propagation of male-sterile plants is possible by crossing with a male-fertile maintainer plant or inbred possessing normal (N) male-fertile cytoplasm and the homozygous recessive at the Ms locus (N msms). Some commercially important onion populations possess S-CMS and high frequencies of the dominant Ms allele, eliminating the possibility to develop maintainer lines. An alloplasmic source of CMS (Gal-CMS) was developed by backcrossing the cytoplasm of Allium galanthum into the nuclear background of onion. The advantage of Gal-CMS is that the dominant allele at Ms does not restore male fertility, making this source of CMS useful for the development of male-sterile lines from populations possessing S cytoplasm and dominant allele(s) at Ms. In this research, a single nucleotide polymorphism unique to the cytoplasms of A. galanthum and Gal-CMS was identified, useful to distinguish Gal-CMS from other onion cytoplasms.