Apomixis, asexual reproduction through seeds, has the potential to revolutionize agriculture if its genetic basis can be elucidated. However, the genetic control of natural apomixis has remained obscure until quite recently, owing to all the complications of Mendelian genetics, such as epistatic gene interactions, components that are expressed sporophytically and gametophytically, expression modifiers, polyploidy, aneuploidy, segregation distortion, suppressed recombination, etc., that seem to have accumulated during the evolution of apomixis. In this review we show how molecular markers and superior phenotypic methods have been used to clarify the genetics of apomixis in monocots as well as dicots during the past 15 years. Many of the complexities in the genetics of apomixis are likely secondary and have evolved as a consequence of the reproductive process. New mapping techniques, such as comparative mapping, linkage disequilibrium mapping, and deletion mapping, and new high-throughput sequencing methods, will help to penetrate the core of apomixis chromosomal regions. If the evolutionary genetic load can be exposed and removed, the apomixis genes may be used in agriculture as a tool to fix elite genotypes.

Significance: The molecular mechanisms controlling apomixis, a mode of asexual reproduction in plants leading to clonal seed formation, are largely unknown. In Pennisetum squamulatum , apomixis segregates as a single dominant locus, the apospory-specific genomic region (ASGR). The ASGR contains multiple copies of the PsASGR-BABY BOOM-like ( PsASGR-BBML ) gene, a member of the BBM-like subgroup of APETALA 2 transcription factors. Expression of a PsASGR-BBML transgene in sexual tetraploid pearl millet promoted both parthenogenesis (embryo formation without fertilization) and the production of haploid offspring. This study presents the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of function for a gene cloned from a naturally occurring apomictic plant that encodes a key component controlling parthenogenesis.

The advent of the genome sequences of Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis has ushered in a new era for peanut genomics. With the goal of producing a gene atlas for cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea), 22 different tissue types and ontogenies that represent the full development of peanut were sequenced, including a complete reproductive series from flower to peg elongation and peg tip immersion in the soil to fully mature seed. Using a genome-guided assembly pipeline, a homeolog-specific transcriptome assembly for Arachis hypogaea was assembled and its accuracy was validated. The assembly was used to annotate 21 developmental co-expression networks as tools for gene discovery. Using a set of 8,816 putative homeologous gene pairs, homeolog expression bias was documented, and although bias was mostly balanced, there were striking differences in expression bias in a tissue-specific context. Over 9,000 alterative splicing events and over 6,000 non coding RNAs were further identified and profiled in a developmental context. Together, this work represents a major new resource for cultivated peanut and will be integrated into peanutbase.org as an available resource for all peanut researchers.

The dynamic challenges of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) farming demand a quick response from breeders to develop new cultivars, a process that can be aided by the application of molecular markers. With the goal to pyramid nematode resistance and the trait for high oleic:linoleic acid (high O:L) ratio in seeds, nematode-resistant cultivar Tifguard was used as the recurrent female parent and high O:L cultivars Georgia-02C and Florida-07 were used as donor parents for the high O:L trait. ‘Tifguard High O/L’ was generated through three rounds of accelerated backcrossing using BC_nF₁ progenies selected with molecular markers for these two traits as the pollen donors. Selfed BC₃F₂ plants yielded marker-homozygous individuals identified as Tifguard High O/L, compressing the hybridization and selection phases of the cultivar development process to less than 3 yr. The accuracy of marker-assisted selection (MAS) was confirmed by phenotyping a subset of F_2:3 populations from both parental combinations. Once additional molecular markers linked with traits of interest are designed to be compatible with high-throughput screening platforms, MAS will be more widely integrated into peanut breeding programs. Copyright © 2011. . Copyright © 2011 Crop Science Society of America

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea; 2n = 4x = 40) is a nutritious food and a good source of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Expansion of genetic and genomic resources for genetic enhancement of cultivated peanut has gained momentum from the sequenced genomes of the diploid ancestors of cultivated peanut. To facilitate high-throughput genotyping of Arachis species, 20 genotypes were re-sequenced and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected to develop a large-scale SNP genotyping array. For flexibility in genotyping applications, SNPs polymorphic between tetraploid and diploid species were included for use in cultivated and interspecific populations. A set of 384 accessions was used to test the array resulting in 54 564 markers that produced high-quality polymorphic clusters between diploid species, 47 116 polymorphic markers between cultivated and interspecific hybrids, and 15 897 polymorphic markers within A. hypogaea germplasm. An additional 1193 markers were identified that illuminated genomic regions exhibiting tetrasomic recombination. Furthermore, a set of elite cultivars that make up the pedigree of US runner germplasm were genotyped and used to identify genomic regions that have undergone positive selection. These observations provide key insights on the inclusion of new genetic diversity in cultivated peanut and will inform the development of high-resolution mapping populations. Due to its efficiency, scope, and flexibility, the newly developed SNP array will be very useful for further genetic and breeding applications in Arachis.