In some cases, when the crossing between two species is not possible because of differences in ploidy level, polyploids can be used as a bridge for gene transferring between them. In addition, polyploidy often results in reduced fertility due to meiotic errors, allowing the production of seedless varieties.

How is polyploidy useful to researchers?

Polyploidy, involving the presence of multiple copies of identical or similar chromosome sets in one species, is an important feature of species evolution in the plant, animal, and fungal kingdoms. Polyploidy is widely considered to be an enabling force in evolution.

Is polyploidy good for plants?

Besides a change in cell wall composition, polyploidy is also known to increase organ size and improve biomass production in several plant species (Tsukaya, 2008; del Pozo and Ramirez-Parra, 2015; Tavan et al., 2015; Vergara et al., 2016).