Apomixis and its potential role in agriculture

ORTIZ JPA; PESSINO SC

AgBiotechNet

CABI Publishing

Lugar: London; Año: 2002 vol. 4 p. 1 - 7

0954-9897

Apomixis is an asexual mode of reproduction through seeds in some angiosperms that results in the formation of embryos without the involvement of meiosis and fertilisation of the egg cell. Seed-derived progeny of an apomictic plant is genetically identical to the maternal parent. This natural form of reproduction gives rise to a novel prospect in agricultural production: the possibility of establishing genetically stable, seed propagating clones of crops, which can perpetuate themselves through countless generations. In recent years, our understanding of the genetic and molecular bases of apomixis has greatly increased, supported by the development of molecular biology technologies. Though numerous questions about apomixis still remain to be answered, a promising scenario is developing for the near future. This article presents a brief summary of the current state of knowledge in the main fields of apomixis research and the prospect for its transference to agronomically important species.