The method by which certain
wild plants '
clone' themselves, without requiring
pollenation. In apomixis, the process that halves the number of
chromosomes in a
female cell prior to
fertilisation is bypassed. Instead, the egg retains its full set of chromosomes and grows into a clone of the female parent. Most
apomictic plants neither accept
pollen from other plants nor produce any themselves.
It has been suggested that this process be included in genetically engineered crops, as there would be no risk of cross-pollenation with native plants. The other advantage of including this process in commercial crops is that any hybrid plants won't lose their adaptions (as happens now when fertilisation occurs). This means that poorer farmers won't have to reinvest money in new hybrid seeds, they can just hold some back from the previous years crop