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Apomixis: Its Identification and Use in Plant Breeding¹

Apomixis, an asexual method of reproduction through the seed, provides unique opportunities for developing superior cultivars in the future. Apomixis occurs at low levels in some cultivated species and can be found in closely related species of many cultivated crops.The purposes of this paper are to help plant breeders and geneticists recognize apomixis and to show how it can be used in plant improvement.Transfer of apomixis to important crops would make possible development of true-breeding hybrids and commercial production of hybrids without a need for cytoplasmic male sterility and high cost, labor-intensive processes. Obligately apomictic hybrids would breed true regardless of heterozygosity. It could also provide an efficient method for incorporating genes into new genotypes. Superiorobligate apomictic genotypes would be ready for performance testing without a need for progeny testing to determine genetic stability. The commercial hybrid production process would be simplified with apomictic hybrids. Several apomixis mechanisms have been shown to be genetically controlled and therefore subject to genetic manipulation in plant breeding programs. Characteristics such as: (i) uniform progenies from heterozygous F₁ or open-pollinated parents, (ii) maternal types in crosses, (iii) high seed set in unstable genotypes, and (iv) multiple ovules and seedings per ovule are indicators of apomixis that should be investigated.

Key Words: Hybrids • Apospory • Diplospory • Adventitious embryony • Plant improvement

² Research geneticists, USDA-ARS, and the Univ. of Georgia, College of Agric. Exp. Stn., Coastal Plain Exp. Stn., Agronomy Dep., Tifton, GA 31793; and Dep. of Soil and Crop Science, Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843.

Received for publication February 17, 1987.

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