Principles of Plant Breeding

Apospory

• It involves the development of embryo sac either from the archesporial cell or from the nucellus, or from other cell. It is of two types :

  (i) Generative or haploid apospory: If the embryo sac develops from one of the megaspores (n), the process is called generative or haploid apospory. Since it cannot regenerate, as it is haploid and fertilization fails, the process gives rise to non-recurrent apomicts.

  (ii) Somatic or diploid apospory: When diploid embryo sac is formed from nucellus or other cells, the process is termed as somatic or diploid apospory. Since it regenerates without fertilization, it is recurrent.