Researchers from Tel Aviv University have succeeded in isolating a gene whose surplus expression activates the asexual reproduction (apomixes) mechanism in plants. The discovery could shed new light on the evolutionary transition of species from the sea to dry land and revolutionize agriculture.
In this study, the researchers chose as their model plant, which reproduces using sexual reproduction, moss of the Physcomitrella patens type. However in this study a gene called Bell1 found in all the plant's tissues was used by researchers to make the moss create embryos without the sexual reproduction systems.