The Summary of Plant Cell Fusion and Its Application

Abstract

Plant cell fusion has become an important tool in plant improvement. Plant cell fusion allows researchers to combine somatic cells (partial or whole) from different cultivars, species or genera to generate novel genetic combinations including symmetric allotetraploid somatic hybrids, asymmetric somatic hybrids or somatic cybrids. Through bypassing problems sometimes associated with conventional sexual crossing, including sexual incompatibility, polyembryony and male or female sterility, the plant cell fusion can greatly facilitate the process of gene transfer or breeding. This short review summarizes the plant cell fusion and its application.