The role of epigenetics in natural populations and somaclonal variation

Abstract

Changes in the epigenome enable a plant to rapidly adapt to its environment without the need for genetic mutations, thereby increasing its chance of survival. The role of epigenetics is even more important in populations with very little genetic diversity, plants that reproduce asexually do not exchange genetic information with other individuals of their species and will create a genetically uniform population. However, the production of genetically uniform crops through tissue cultures is facing problems regarding unwanted epigenetic changes, resulting in somaclonal variation and decreased yield. By taking inspiration from natural populations and identifying differentially methylated loci that have shown to improve stress resistance, targeted epigenetic changes can be made to improve stress resistance in crops. This review aims to discuss the role of epigenetics on the survival of environmental stresses in natural populations and discuss the problems faced with epigenetics in tissue cultures.