As one of the most important crops, maizenot only has been a source of the food, feed, andindustrial feedstock for biofuel and bioproducts but also became as a model plant system for addressing fundamental questions in genetics. Male sterility is a very useful trait for hybrid vigor utilization and hybrid seed production. The identification and characterization of genic male-sterility (GMS) genes in maize and other plants have deepened our understanding of the molecular mechanismscontrolling anther andpollen development, and enabled the development and efficient use of many biotechnology-based male-sterility (BMS) systems for crop hybrid breeding. Here, I willreport the main progress on the identification and characterization of GMS genes such as ZmMs7, ZmMs20,ZmMs25,ZmMs30, and ZmMs33in maize, and construct a putative regulatory network controlling maize anther and pollen development by comparative genomics analysis ofthe GMS genes in maize, Arabidopsis and rice. Furthermore, I will introduce and appraise the features of more than a dozen BMS systems (e.g. MCS, DMS, SPT) for propagating male sterile lines and producing hybrid seeds in maize and other plants. Finally, I would like toprovide myperspectives on the studies of GMS genes and the development of novel BMS systems in maize and other plants. The continuous exploration of GMS genes and BMS systems will enhance our understanding of the molecular regulatory networks controlling male fertility and greatly facilitate hybrid vigor utilization in breeding and field production of maize and other crops.

Dr. Xiangyuan Wan is currently working as a distinguished full professor at University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB, CN), and a Leading Scientist of “Ten Thousand Plan”-National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan in China. He obtained the doctor's degree of Plant Breeding and Genetics in Nanjing Agricultural University (CN) in 2005. Then he was a postdoctoral fellow in Tsinghua University (CN, 2005-2008) and Cornell University (USA, 2008-2011), respectively. From 2011 to 2016, he was appointed as the general director of the State Key Laboratory of Main Crop Germplasm Innovation in China. 2016.12-present, he was the director of Biology and Agricultural Research Center, USTB, and the director of Beijing Engineering Laboratory of Main Crop Bio-Tech Breeding.

Dr. Wan has authored more than 70 publications in well-known journals such as Mol Plant, Plant Biotechnol J, Mol Cell Proteomics, Genetics, Nat Cell Biol, Plant Cell, Cell Res, Theor Appl Genet, J Proteome Res, and Int J Mol Sci. Many of them are listed as highly cited papers by the Web of Sciences. His research interest has been focused on plant molecular, cytological and developmental biology, crop male sterility and hybrid seed production, and biotechnology and its application for crop molecular breeding and functional food. In these areas, Dr. Wan has 27 authorized China invention patents, and six certificates of new Technology/Product of Beijing.

Dr. Wan has taken charge of more than 30 funding projects from MOST, NSFC, MOA, NDRC of PRC, and Beijing and Shandong governments during the past ten years. Dr. Wan is elected to the member of a council, Crop Science Society of China (CSSC) in 2014, and the member of a council, Chinese Society of Biotechnology (CSB) in 2017, respectively. He won “Science, Technology and Management talents with Outstanding Contributions in Beijing” Award in Jan. 2019. He won “National Award for 100 Outstanding Doctoral Theses in China” in 2007. In addition, Dr. Wan is selected as the National Key Innovative Team leader in 2014, the Shandong Government Taishan Scholar Expert in 2014, and the Beijing Government Special Expert in 2018.