Nucleotide sequences mediating plant male fertility and method of using same

A method of maintaining a homozygous recessive condition of a male sterile plant, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a first plant comprising homozygous recessive alleles of the Ms26 gene wherein said plant is male sterile,
• (b) introducing a construct into a second plant, the second plant comprising homozygous recessive alleles of the Ms26 gene, the construct in the hemizygous condition, the construct comprising:
• (i) a first nucleotide sequence comprising the Ms26 nucleotide sequence, wherein said first nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of
• a) a sequence encoding the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 4;
• b) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 3;
• c) a sequence having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 3, over the full length of said sequence;
• d) a sequence having at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 3, over the full length of said sequence;
• and
• e) a sequence which hybridizes to the full length of SEQ ID NO:
• 3 under highly stringent conditions of a wash of 0.1 SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS at 65° C., that when expressed in the first plant would restore male fertility;
• (ii) a second nucleotide sequence that when expressed inhibits the function or formation of male gametes in the second plant, such that viable male gametes are produced in the second plant, wherein said viable male gametes contain the recessive allleles of Ms26 and do not contain the construct;
• and
• (iii) a third nucleotide sequence operably linked to the first nucleotide sequence, said third nucleotide sequence directing expression preferentially to male plant cells and selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) SEQ ID NO:
• 5;
• (b) SEQ ID NO:
• 6;
• (c) bases 1-1088 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (d) bases 830 to 962 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (e) bases 830 to 914 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (f) bases 917 to 962 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (g) bases 875 to 954 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (h) bases 935 to 954 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• (i) bases 875 to 924 of SEQ ID NO:
• 7;
• and
• (j) a functional fragment of any of the foregoing sequences, which functional fragment is essential for male tissue preferred expression of a linked sequence;
• and
• (c) fertilizing the first plant with the male gametes of the second plant to produce progeny which maintain the homozygous recessive condition of the first plant.