Mapping a New Source of Self-fertility in Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

There is a rising interest of moving towards hybrid breeding in outcrossing species. Self-compatibility (SC), which occurs at low rates in self-incompatible species, could be used to develop inbred lines, a key requirement for hybrid breeding programs. In perennial ryegrass, the existence of SC independent from the self-incompatibility (SI) loci S and Z has been reported. In this study, we used 98 F2 individuals from a cross between a self-compatible ecotype and an individual of the VrnA mapping population that were tested with markers for two candidate linkage groups 3 and 5 as well as markers for candidate regions at the S and Z locus. We were able to determine a tentative location of a SC locus and tested the possible interaction to other loci involved in SI and SC. This information will help to fine map the SC locus, and for marker-assisted selection.