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Apomixis in the Era of Biotechnology

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Plant Developmental Biology - Biotechnological Perspectives

Abstract

The adaptive success of living organisms depends on the maintenance of a dynamic equilibrium between creating new genetic combinations and fixing those which are more adapted to the present environment. Sexual reproduction is universally the main route to recombine genes in the short term; on the other hand, different strategies have been adopted to fix the genetic composition of individuals demonstrating high fitness. In plants, genotypes may be “immortalized” via vegetative propagation or “photocopied” by selfing of highly homozygous individuals. A third, more technically sophisticated pathway is represented by the implementation of apomixis, where a functional sexual machine is short-circuited to asexually produce embryos with the fixed genotype of the mother plant. This developmental sophistication represents a challenging research field for the reproduction biologist and a desirable trait for the plant breeder to be used in seed production schemes of elite varieties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Biology, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy

    E. Albertini & M. Falcinelli

  2. Genetics Laboratory, Department of Agronomy and Crop Science, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, (Padova), Italy

    G. Barcaccia

  3. Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry, University of Tuscia, Via S.C. de Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    A. Mazzucato

  4. Apomixis Research Group, Department of Cytogenetics, Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforshung, Corrensstrasse 3, 06466, Gatersleben, Germany

    T. F. Sharbel

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  1. E. Albertini
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  2. G. Barcaccia
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  3. A. Mazzucato
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  4. T. F. Sharbel
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  5. M. Falcinelli
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Correspondence to E. Albertini .

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  1. New Era College, Jalan Bukit, Kajang, 43000, Malaysia

    Eng Chong Pua

  2. Dept. Plant Sciences Division, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, United Kingdom

    Michael R. Davey

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Albertini, E., Barcaccia, G., Mazzucato, A., Sharbel, T.F., Falcinelli, M. (2010). Apomixis in the Era of Biotechnology. In: Pua, E., Davey, M. (eds) Plant Developmental Biology - Biotechnological Perspectives. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02301-9_20

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