Apospory and parthenogenesis may be uncoupled in Poa pratensis L.: cytological and genetic evidences

Despite the potential that apomixis has for ag- riculture, there is little information regarding the genetic control of its functional components. We carried out a cytohistological investigation on an F1 segregating popu- lation of Poa pratensis obtained from a cross between a sexual and an apomictic parent. About half of the F1 progeny plants were parthenogenic, as adjudicated by an auxin test. The degree of parthenogenesis ranged from 1.44% to 92.9%. Apospory was detected in parthenoge- netic plants as well as in two non-parthenogenetic indi- viduals. These results indicate that two distinct genetic factors control apospory and parthenogenesis in P. prat- ensis and that apospory and parthenogenesis may be de- velopmentally uncoupled.