Puzzling out plant reproduction by haploid induction for innovations in plant breeding

Mixing maternal and paternal genomes in embryos is not only responsible for the evolutionary success of sexual reproduction, but is also a cornerstone of plant breeding. However, once an interesting gene combination is obtained, further genetic mixing is problematic. To rapidly fix genetic information, doubled haploid plants can be produced: haploid embryos having solely the genetic information from one parent are allowed to develop, and chromosome doubling generates fully homozygous plants. A powerful path to the production of doubled haploids is based on haploid inducer lines. A simple cross between a haploid inducer line and the line with gene combinations to be fixed will trigger haploid embryo development. However, the exact mechanism behind in planta haploid induction remains an enduring mystery. The recent discoveries of molecular actors triggering haploid induction in the maize crop and the model Arabidopsis thaliana pinpoint an essential role of processes related to gamete development, gamete interactions and genome stability. These findings enabled translation of haploid induction capacity to other crops as well as the use of haploid inducer lines to deliver genome editing machinery into various crop varieties. These recent advances not only hold promise for the next generations of plant breeding strategies, but they also provide a deeper insight into the fundamental bases of sexual reproduction in plants.