A brief note on genes that trigger components of apomixis

Apomixis or asexual reproduction through seeds occurs in about 400 species of flowering plants producing genetically uniform progeny. During apomixis, meiosis is bypassed and embryos develop by parthenogenesis. However, the endosperm could form either autonomously without fertilization or sexually, depending on the plant species. Most probably, a heterochronic expression of sexually expressed genes is one of the reason that causes apomixis. A better understanding of the genetic components regulating apomixis is important for developmental and evolutionary studies and also for engineering apomixis traits into crop plants that may realize a possibility to propagate hybrid vigor in a range of subsequent generations.