Engineering Apomixis: Clonal Seeds Approaching the Fields

Apomixis is a form of reproduction leading to clonal seeds and offspring that are genetically identical to the maternal plant. While apomixis naturally occurs in hundreds of plant species distributed across diverse plant families, it is absent in major crop species. Apomixis has a revolutionary pote...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of plant biology 2022-05, Vol.73 (1), p.201-225
Main Authors: Underwood, Charles J, Mercier, Raphael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apomixis
autonomous endosperm
clonal seeds
Fertilization
Genotypes
Hybrid vigor
Hybrids
Meiosis
Offspring
parthenogenesis
Plant breeding
Plant species
Propagation
Seeds
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Summary:Apomixis is a form of reproduction leading to clonal seeds and offspring that are genetically identical to the maternal plant. While apomixis naturally occurs in hundreds of plant species distributed across diverse plant families, it is absent in major crop species. Apomixis has a revolutionary potential in plant breeding, as it could allow the instant fixation and propagation though seeds of any plant genotype, most notably F 1 hybrids. Mastering and implementing apomixis would reduce the cost of hybrid seed production, facilitate new types of hybrid breeding, and make it possible to harness hybrid vigor in crops that are not presently cultivated as hybrids. Synthetic apomixis can be engineered by combining modifications of meiosis and fertilization. Here, we review the current knowledge and recent major achievements toward the development of efficient apomictic systems usable in agriculture.
ISSN:1543-5008
1545-2123
DOI:10.1146/annurev-arplant-102720-013958