Abstract: The present invention relates to vegetative reproduction or plants which is also called apomixis. In particular the invention describes a method for the production of seeds, comprising (a) transgenically expressing in the vicinity of the embryo sac of a first parent plant a gene encoding or interacting with a somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase, (b) crossing the first parent plant of step (a) with a second, genetically polymorphic parent plant and applying auxin to the crossed plants before anthesis, (c) growing F1 progeny plants from seeds obtained from the plants treated with auxin, (d) selling the F1 progeny plants obtained in step (c) to obtain F2 progeny plants and (e) selecting an F2 progeny plant which has a nuclear genome with a marker profile identical to the marker profile of the nuclear genome of the F1 progeny plant selfed in process step (d).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for increasing the probability of vegetative reproduction of a new plant generation by transgenic expression of a gene encoding a protein acting in the signal transduction cascade triggered by the Somatic Embryogenesis Receptor Kinase (SERK). Apomictic seeds resulting therefrom, plants and progeny obtained through germination of such seeds, and genes encoding proteins acting in the signal transduction cascade triggered by SERK constitute further subject matters of the invention.