Parasexual reproduction in flowering plants

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Abstract
Plant protoplast fusion has provided a new method for the hybridisation of plants. This new method of hybridisation has enabled a limited range of inter-species somatic hybrid plants to be produced; and, as the capability for whole plant regeneration increases, a wide range of inter-species fusions with the potential of somatic hybrid plant formation is becoming possible. Such somatic hybrids may be chromosomally stable or they may show various degrees of instability. If random chromosome loss occurs this could result in the haploidisation of the initial diploid. Such a complete parasexual cycle of reproduction is not likely to occur in flowering plants; but the extent to which it occurs in wide crosses could prove of considerable importance to the plant breeder.