The high cost of hybrid seeds is a major problem for farmers because these seeds cannot be saved and replanted the next year without losing hybrid vigor. Which of the following biological processes, if successfully engineered into these crops, would ensure that there is no segregation of characters in the hybrid progeny?

Step-by-step solution

Hybrid seeds are produced by crossing two different inbred lines to achieve hybrid vigor (heterosis). However, if these hybrid seeds are sown, the resulting plants will undergo meiosis and sexual reproduction, leading to the segregation of traits in the next generation. This causes the loss of hybrid vigor, forcing farmers to buy new hybrid seeds every year. Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction by producing seeds without fertilization. Since there is no meiosis or syngamy invol