Zurich researchers have recreated the mechanism that prevents self-fertilization in plants. According to experts, this could increase agricultural yields and preserve endangered plant species in the future. “We have thus reversed evolution,” said study leader Kentaro Shimizu, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich (UZH). The results were published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.
In the footsteps of Darwin
Charles Darwin recognized that some plants are capable of self-pollination, while others rely on cross-pollination. In his book The Origin of Species (1859), he argued that self-fertilization could be an advantage when few mates were available. At the same time, self-fertilization can also have disadvantages, such as reducing genetic diversity, which could increase susceptibility to disease and environmental changes.
Since this research began more than 160 years ago, scientists have studied the self-fertilization of plant species. However, its molecular mechanism remains largely unknown, as Shimizu explained. According to the researcher, it was known, however, that so-called polyploid species can fertilize significantly more frequently than diploid species. In contrast to diploid species, polyploid species such as rapeseed have more than two sets of chromosomes in their cells.
Experiments must be expanded
The UZH researchers therefore carried out experiments on a polyploid model plant species called Arabidopsis kamachtica. They were able to show that a mutation in a gene called SCR-B causes dominant self-fertilization. This discovery opens up the possibility of experimentally regulating self-fertilization, at least in model plant species, Shimizu said. In the next stage, the researchers want to expand the experiments to other plant species.
In the future, the results will help improve cultivated plants to obtain the desired properties. Furthermore, monitoring self-fertilization is important for the conservation of threatened species, said the researcher.