Progress on plant parthenogenesis: promoting the application of synthetic apomixis

Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction in plants where embryos and clone seeds are formed directly without meiosis and fertilization. The progenies generated through apomixis are genetically identical to the maternal plants, and the genotypes does not change across generations, and the phenotypes do not undergo segregation. Successful introduction of apomixis into major crops and permanent, can achieve the permanent fixation of crop heterosis, will resulting in significant economic benefits. Parthenogenesis constitutes a pivotal component in artificial apomixis, facilitating the transition from sexual reproduction to unisexual reproduction. In this review, we summarize the recent studies on plant parthenogenesis genes, and provide an overview of the application in haploid breeding and apomixis system. This contributes to a deeper and comprehensive understanding of parthenogenesis, offering important references for its application in apomixis.