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Sunflower ‘virgin births’ enable accelerated crop breeding

The discovery that sunflower seeds can develop without fertilization reveals a pathway to accelerate improvement of this crop — and potentially others.
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  1. Marco Todesco

    1. Marco Todesco is in the Michael Smith Laboratories and in the Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada. He is also in the Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia.

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  2. Loren H. Rieseberg

    1. Loren H. Rieseberg is in the Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.

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When genetically different varieties of plants are crossed, the hybrid offspring often have higher growth rates and greater seed or fruit production than the parental varieties, a phenomenon referred to as hybrid vigour. To capitalize on the gains offered by hybrid vigour, plant breeders have developed hybrid-production systems for several crops of high economic value, most notably maize (Zea mays, also known as corn) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus). However, producing such hybrids requires a lengthy process because the parental varieties need to be inbred for at least six generations by self-pollination.

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Nature 641, 596-598 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00904-8

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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