| abstract |
Methods of preparing hybrid seed are described. One such method comprises interplanting a male parent plant which is male fertile and homozygous recessive female sterile and a female parent plant which is homozygous recessive male sterile and female fertile, allowing cross-pollination and obtaining the seed produced therefrom. The genomic material of each parent plant may also have integrated therein a gene construct comprising a promoter sequence-responsive to the presence or absence of an exogenous chemical inducer, optionally operably linked to one or more enhancer or intron sequences, operably linked to a gene which fully restores the fertility of each parent plant, the gene being expressed by the application to the plant of an external chemical inducer thereby allowing each parent to self-pollinate. |