XVI International Botanical Congess

Apomixis is a genetically controlled process by which embryos and seeds develop without female meiosis and fertilization. The advantage of apomixis over sexual reproduction is the possibility to select individuals with desirable gene combinations and to propagate them as clones. The aim of our research is to produce mutants for apomixis or components and to isolate the corresponding genes. We are using transposon and EMS mutagenesis in the conditional male sterile cer background. From EMS screen seven mutants have been isolated. These showed silique elongation, enlargement of ovules, activation of embryo sac and egg cell and greatly enlarged V-shaped central cell. Genetic analysis of mutants and large-scale screening of transposon populations are in progress.