Male sterlity was discovered by

Options

A. Rhoades
B. Sonneborn
C. Bycott et al
D. Correns

Answer

To solve the question "Male sterility was discovered by," we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Male Sterility**:
- Male sterility refers to the inability of a plant to produce functional anthers or pollen grains, which are essential for reproduction. This condition can be complete or partial.

2. **Identifying the Cause**:
- Male sterility is often associated with cytoplasmic inheritance, which involves the interaction between nuclear genes and mitochondrial genes. This means that the genes located in the mitochondria can influence the expression of male sterility.

3. **Historical Context**:
- The concept of male sterility was first observed in maize (corn) plants.

4. **Recognizing Key Figures**:
- The scientist who first discovered cytoplasmic male sterility in plants is **Rhodes**.

5. **Evaluating Other Options**:
- **Sonneborn**: Known for his work on kappa particles, which is unrelated to male sterility.
- **Bicot et al**: A plant pathologist whose work does not pertain to male sterility.
- **Correns**: Proposed the concept of extra-chromosomal inheritance, which is also not directly related to the discovery of male sterility.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Based on the historical context and contributions of the scientists, the correct answer to the question is **Rhodes**.

### Final Answer:
**Male sterility was discovered by Rhodes.**

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