Assessment of male sterility in sugar beet varieties

Several sources of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) have been described in beets. Sugar beet cultivars are producing only using the source of Owen CMS. Introducing Owen CMS from cultivated sugar beet, have been important role in development of hybrid cultivars and changed breeding methods in sugar beet. Sugar beet cultivars carring CMS Owen are semi fertile. In order to investigating cytoplasm variation and cytoplasmic male sterility source between cultivars, mitochondrial minisatellite and PCR-RFLP markers were used. Banding profiles of four cultivars and two male strile and fertile lines demonstrated the presence of Owen CMS in breeding process of these cultivars. Cytoplasmic variation was not observed between cultivars, but some progeny of cross between cultivar plants and a pollinator were sterile. It seems, other resource, besides Owen CMS have been used in producing some hybrid cultivars.