Farmers often face the economic burden of purchasing hybrid seeds every year because the seeds collected from hybrid plants lose their hybrid vigour in subsequent generations due to the segregation of traits. To solve this problem, researchers are attempting to transfer a specific reproductive trait into these hybrid crops. The introduction of this trait would allow the hybrid plants to produce seeds:

Step-by-step solution

Hybrid seeds have to be produced every year because if the seeds collected from hybrid plants are sown, the plants in the progeny will segregate and lose their hybrid vigour. This happens due to meiosis (reduction division) and fertilization during sexual reproduction. To solve this problem, researchers are trying to introduce the trait of apomixis into hybrid crops. Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction by producing seeds without fertilization. In many apomictic species, the di