Polyembryony: A Potential Horticultural Trait, Reveals Complex Mechanism, Role of Molecular Markers and their Application in Fruit Crops

Abstract

Rootstocks/scions with potential for commercial growing, either for the industry or fresh market, have been one of the main objectives of the fruit breeding programs. Fruit crop breeding has impediments like polyembryony (PE) which is otherwise desirable for clonal plant propagation. In nature PE exist in some fruit crops like citrus, mango, jamun, rose apple, almond etc. In polyembryonic crops, there is an occurrence of the more than one embryo in seed and subsequently numerous seedlings emerge from that single seed. The mother type seedlings are considered nucellar are often vigorous in nature as compared to zygotic ones. In this review, the classification, genetic basis and mechanism of PE has been discussed. In current review, morphogenetic authentication of seedling from polyembronic seed has been discussed in the light of recent research. Transcriptional pathway along with the inheritance pattern and molecular breeding aspects of PE has also been summarized.