18. What is apomixis and what is its importance?
The process of development of seeds from diploid cells of nucellus tissue without the process of fertilisation is called apomixis. This process is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction. Apomixis is very commonly seen in grasses.
Importance of apomixis
Apomixis is used by horticulturists to produce hybrid seeds.
Apomixis leads to the formation of infection-free embryos.
Apomixis can be used to produce multiple embryos at a time.
Apomictic embryos are genetically similar to their parent plants. For this reason, they can be used in order to conserve specific characters in crop plants.