Haploid facultative parthenogenesis in sunflower sexual reproduction

Jian Lv (), Dawei Liang, Eric Bumann, Virginie Mirleau Thebaud, Huaibing Jin, Changbao Li, Clemence Paris, Yinghui Dan, Chao Li, Ruijie Cui, Xianxia Chen, David Szwerdszarf, Peter Wittich, Bobby Clegg, Agustin Tassara, Hongmei Dan, Xiaolong Tian, Zhiqiang Liu, Wen Cai, Bin Sun, Jared Carter, Paul Drayton, Federico Bock and Timothy Kelliher ()
Additional contact information
Jian Lv: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Dawei Liang: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Eric Bumann: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC
Virginie Mirleau Thebaud: Seeds France SAS
Huaibing Jin: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Changbao Li: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC
Clemence Paris: Seeds France SAS
Yinghui Dan: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Chao Li: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Ruijie Cui: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Xianxia Chen: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
David Szwerdszarf: Syngenta S.A
Peter Wittich: Syngenta Seeds B.V
Bobby Clegg: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC
Agustin Tassara: Syngenta Agro S.A.
Hongmei Dan: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Xiaolong Tian: Syngenta Group China
Zhiqiang Liu: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Wen Cai: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Bin Sun: Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd
Jared Carter: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC
Paul Drayton: Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre
Federico Bock: Seeds France SAS
Timothy Kelliher: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC

Nature, 2025, vol. 641, issue 8063, 732-739

Abstract: Abstract Flowering plant sexual reproduction requires double fertilization, yielding embryo and endosperm seed compartments: the latter supports embryo growth and seed germination. In an experiment to generate haploid embryos through inhibition of pollen phospholipase activity in sunflower (Helianthus annus), we serendipitously discovered that emasculated sunflowers spontaneously form parthenogenic haploid seed. Exploration of genetic, chemical and environmental factors demonstrated that a specific genotype background enabled high parthenogenesis and that full spectrum high-intensity light supplementation boosted parthenogenesis, yielding hundreds of haploid seeds per head. Induction of doubled haploid plants can greatly accelerate plant breeding efficiency; however, despite successful engineering of haploid induction in many crops, few reported systems are commercially scalable1. Here we report efficient methods of chemical emasculation and genome doubling to produce fertile plants and enable a scalable sunflower doubled haploid system.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08798-2

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