Research and Utilization of Chemical Inducing Male Sterility for Hybrid Seed Production in Canola (Brassica napus)

Zinc methylarsenate (ZMA) has been found to be the best chemical hybridizing agent for canola among the over 40 chemicals investigated. Cytological, physiological, and biochemical processes of induction of male sterility by several chemical hybridizing agents were revealed in canola. The system for hybrid seed production using a chemical hybridizing agent has been established for the first time and used for breeding hybrid varieties in canola. A number of heterotic hybrid canola varieties such as Xiangzayou 1 and Xiangzayou 6 have been developed using the above hybrid seed system and commercially released in the Yangtze Valley, China, with the planting area of over 2.3 million ha and direct economic benefit of 1 billion RMB yuan. Fifty-two scientific papers have been published. These studies were financially supported by the grants from Ministry of Science and Technology, China (96-002-02-13, 85-03-03-02) and from the Department of Science and Technology, Hunan Province, China (NKY 1004-02). These scientific achievements won the 2009 State Science and Technology Award of China (2nd prize).