Determination of reproductive mode and genome size of a USDA core collection of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) by cell flow cytometry

Apomixis is the natural ability of certain species of plants to reproduce asexually through seed. More than 400 species of plants belonging to 40 families have been reported to reproduce via seed asexually (Nogler, 1984). The ability of plants to produce somatic clones through inflorescence structures (vivipary) was formerly classified as apomixis, but recent definitions exclude this process, as will this research. In seed development, sexual embryos arise from the union of female and male gametes. In contrast to this, apomictic species posses the ability to produce embryos autonomously. The potential for the integration of apomixis in sexual agricultural crops is a significant driving force behind a recent increase in research and understanding of apomixes. Apomixis has the potential to lock any genotype, including hybrids and complex genotypes