Male sterility refers to the inability of plants to produce or release functional pollen grains. There are several types of male sterility including genetic, cytoplasmic, and chemically-induced sterility. Male sterility is important for hybrid seed production as it allows for the elimination of manual emasculation. Various biotechnological techniques can be used to induce and control male sterility, such as targeting the tapetum tissue, using RNA interference to silence genes involved in pollen development, or developing inducible or two-component sterility systems. These methods allow for more efficient hybrid seed production.