Apomixis technology development—virgin births in farmers' fields?

Abstract

Apomixis is the process of asexual reproduction through seed, in the absence of meiosis and fertilization, generating clonal progeny of maternal origin. Major benefits to agriculture could result from harnessing apomixis in crop plants. Although >400 apomictic plant species are known, apomixis is rare among crop plants, and the transfer of apomixis to crop varieties by conventional breeding has been largely unsuccessful. Because apomictic and sexual pathways are closely related, de novo engineering of apomixis might be achieved in sexually reproducing crops. Early consideration of issues relating to biosafety and intellectual property (IP) management can facilitate the acceptance and deployment of apomixis technology in agriculture.

Harnessing the developmental potential of nucellar cells: barriers and opportunities

“…Recently, de novo engineering of genomic imprints -which control the inheritance of apomeiosis, parthenogenesis and endosperm development -have also been proposed as desirable goals for the development of future apomixis technologies [36]. Theoretical issues of bio-safety and intellectual property management regarding the impact of 'infectious apomixis' [i.e.…”

“…The current technologies available for interrogating the transcriptome have been recently reviewed by Ruan et al [19]. apomixis by a dominant transgene (apomixis supergene) to a related outcrossing species and the consequent ecological risks due to possible displacement of the sexual siblings] are already being debated [36]. The immense popularity of these concepts has perhaps made it very difficult to look for an alternative, even though a genetic basis for apomixis has been elusive so far.…”

Molecular cytogenetics and DNA sequence analysis of an apomixis-linked BAC in Paspalum simplex reveal a non pericentromere location and partial microcolinearity with rice

“…The introduction of apomictic reproduction in cultivated plants would revolutionize the seed market especially for those crops of which the production of hybrid seeds is important (Spillane et al 2004). Unfortunately, although apomictic reproduction has been shown to be under genetic control (Savidan 2000), the trait is present only in wild species for which common approaches of molecular biology can only be applied with some difficulty.…”

Hybrid apomicts trapped in the ecological niches of their sexual ancestors

“…Table 1), an observation that could be explained by the spread of apomixis into different sexual backgrounds in an "infectious" fashion (sensu ref. 54). A dynamic equilibrium between generation and neutral loss of asexual lineages (55) could thus have led to the broad niche conservation and lack of GP in Boechera, in contrast to other agamic complexes (e.g., Ranunculus auricomus complex) (56).…”