Instant generation of four-parent-derived autotetraploid rice through an in vitro fertilisation system.

Conventional breeding approaches aimed at crop improvement have been based on hybridisation through crosses between two parental lines or autopolyploidisation through genome duplication in a single parental line. These restrict the number and combination of parental genomes that can be combined in a single generation and are rarely co-applicable. This study demonstrated that in vitro fertilisation (IVF)-based autopolyploidisation using multiple parents is a viable approach that can combine the advantages of hybridisation and polyploidy in rice.