Androgenesis-Based Doubled Haploidy: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

Androgenesis, which entails cell fate redirection within the microgametophyte, is employed widely for genetic gain in plant breeding programs. Moreover, androgenesis-responsive species provide tractable systems for studying cell cycle regulation, meiotic recombination, and apozygotic embryogenesis within plant cells. Past research on androgenesis has focused on protocol development with emphasis on temperature pretreatments of donor plants or floral buds, and tissue culture optimization because androgenesis has different nutritional requirements than somatic embryogenesis. Protocol development for new species and genotypes within responsive species continues to the present day, but slowly. There is more focus presently on understanding how protocols work in order to extend them to additional genotypes and species. Transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses of induced microspores have revealed some of the cellular and molecular responses required for or associated with androgenesis. For example, microRNAs appear to regulate early microspore responses to external stimuli; trichostatin-A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, acts as an epigenetic additive; ά-phytosulfokine, a five amino acid sulfated peptide, promotes androgenesis in some species. Additionally, present work on gene transfer and genome editing in microspores suggest that future endeavors will likely incorporate greater precision with the genetic composition of microspores used in doubled haploid breeding, thus likely to realize a greater impact on crop improvement. In this review, we evaluate basic breeding applications of androgenesis, explore the utility of genomics and gene editing technologies for protocol development, and provide considerations to overcome genotype specificity and morphogenic recalcitrance in non-model plant systems.

Species with Haploid or Doubled Haploid Protocols

In this chapter, we present a list of species (and few interspecific hybrids) where haploids and/or doubled haploids have been published, including the method by which they were obtained and the corresponding references. This list is an update of the compilation work of Maluszynski et al. published in 2003, including new species for which protocols were not available at that time, and also novel methodologies developed during these years. The list includes 383 different backgrounds. In this book, we present full protocols to produce DHs in 43 of the species included in this list. In addition, this book includes a chapter for one species not included in the list. This makes a total of 384 species where haploids and/or DHs have been reported up to date.

Enhancement of androgenesis by abiotic stress and other pretreatments in major crop species

Rapid production of doubled haploids (DHs) through androgenesis is an important and promising method for genetic improvement of crop plants. Through androgenesis complete homozygous plants can be produced within a year compared to long inbreeding methods that may take several years and costly. Significant advantage of androgenesis is that it not only speeds up the process to achieve homozygosity, but also increases the selection efficiency. Though success in androgenesis has been achieved in many crop plants, yet there are certain limitations especially, low frequency of embryogenesis and regeneration in few species. In fact in many cereals, induction of embryos and regeneration of green plants is still a hurdle that one needs to overcome to improve the efficiency of androgenesis. Efficient androgenesis is usually induced by the successful application of different stress pretreatment. Since so many stress factors can trigger the reprogramming of microspores and that have been co-related to change the ultrastuctural changes of cells to embryos and finally haploid plants. It has been shown that certain pretreatment such as (i) physical stresses as cold, heat shock, starvation, drought stress, osmotic pressure, gamma irradiation, oxidative stress, reduced atmospheric pressure, and (ii) chemical treatments such as colchicine, heavy metal, ABA, CGA, AEC, Azetidine, 2-NHA, either individual or combined effect of more than one stress factors may positively influence androgenetic efficiency. This review highlights the recent and past work on uses of various abiotic stresses and pretreatments and their impact on enhancing the efficiency of androgenesis on some major crop species for the development of doubled haploid plants.