PubMed · 2026-05-30
Researchers propose a new strategy for harnessing apomixis — a plant superpower that lets seeds form without sex or fertilization — by hunting for naturally occurring mutant crop plants that already show hints of this trait, rather than engineering it from scratch.
Apomixis occurs in two distinct forms — sporophytic and gametophytic — each following a separate developmental pathway with different implications for seed formation
Current apomixis research is split between studying natural model systems and engineering synthetic versions; this paper advocates for a neglected third path: screening crop populations for spontaneous apomixis-like mutants
Naturally occurring apomixis mutants in crops could accelerate breeding breakthroughs without the regulatory and technical hurdles of genetic engineering