| Abstract: | In plants, male sterility (MS) is a specific breeding target trait. With the advancements in agriculture, utilization of heterosis breeding in hybrid production through MS lines has become the main breeding tool of various cross‐pollinated and even self‐pollinated crops. Soybean is an essential source of oil and protein; however, the low yield is a major factor limiting its development. Soybean MS mainly comprises cytoplasmic‐nuclear MS and nuclear/genic MS (NMS/GMS), which can effectively utilize heterosis to improve soybean yield. This review outlines the recent research progress on the development of new genetically MS lines, exploring the underlying molecular mechanism of MS, identification and cloning of MS and fertility restoration genes, and the application of MS lines. We further discussed and prospected the future developmental scenario direction of the soybean MS, based on the previous studies of other crops sterility system. Moreover, this review also provides comprehensive information for better application of MS to soybean breeding programme. |
