【Xi'an University of Science and Technology reveals that peppercorns have non-fusion reproductive characteristics】@Professor Wei Anzhi's team of the College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University revealed and proved that peppercorns have non-fusion reproductive characteristics through cytological observation, molecular markers and ploidy identification, and screened candidate genes involved in non-fusion embryogenesis and verified them. The MADS-Box family of transcription factors is widely involved in regulating plant growth and development, especially in the regulation of flower organ development. Based on the detection of gene expression levels and cytological analysis, the researchers found that ZbAGL11 is a member of the D-class MADS-Box transcription factor family, and the expression level was significantly upregulated at the critical stage of pepper-free reproductive embryonic development. The relevant research results were recently published online in horticulture research, the top journal of horticulture. Fusion-free reproduction is a form of reproduction that does not require a combination of male and female gametes and directly produces offspring from the mother. This mode of reproduction determines that the mother has the same genetic material as the offspring, which can greatly retain the excellent traits of the mother, and at the same time make it possible to commercially produce hybrid crops that were previously difficult to produce seeds on a large scale, thus greatly broadening the scope of utilization of hybrid advantages and having important application value in agricultural breeding.
Source: Department of Education of Shaanxi Province