Main conclusion Apomixis is a complex evolutionary trait with many possible origins. Here
we discuss various clues and causes, ultimately proposing a model harmonizing the three …

In flowering plants, haploid gametes–an egg cell and a sperm cell fuse to form the first
diploid cell–the zygote. The zygote is the progenitor stem cell that gives rise to all the …

Capturing heterosis (hybrid vigor) is a promising way to increase productivity in many crops;
hybrid crops often have superior yields, disease resistance, and stress tolerance compared …

In the past decades, the grasses of the Paspalum genus have emerged as a versatile model
allowing evolutionary, genetic, molecular, and developmental studies on apomixis as well …

Apomixis in the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) consists of three developmental
components: diplospory (apomeiosis), parthenogenesis, and autonomous endosperm …

Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) belongs to the group of wild roses. Under natural conditions it
grows throughout Europe, and was introduced also into the southern hemisphere, where it …

Apomixis sensu stricto (agamospermy) is asexual reproduction by seed. In angiosperms it
represents an easy byway of life cycle renewal through gamete-like cells that give rise to …

Abstract Background In Brachiaria sexual reproduction, during ovule development, a
nucellar cell differentiates into a megaspore mother cell (MMC) that, through meiosis and …

Apomixis, the asexual formation of seeds, is a potentially valuable agricultural trait. Inducing
apomixis in sexual crop plants would, for example, allow breeders to fix heterosis in hybrid …

Emerging threats of climate change require the rapid development of improved varieties with
a higher tolerance to abiotic and biotic factors. Despite the success of traditional agricultural …