What is Apomixis? Give its importance.

(N/A) Apomixis is a special mechanism evolved by some flowering plants,such as species of $Asteraceae$ and grasses,to produce seeds without fertilization.
It is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction.
In some species,a diploid egg cell is formed without reduction division (meiosis) and develops into an embryo without fertilization.
In other cases,such as in $Citrus$ and $Mango$,nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac start dividing and develop into embryos. This leads to polyembryony,where each ovule contains multiple embryos.
Importance of Apomixis:
$1$. Hybrid varieties of food and vegetable crops significantly increase productivity.
$2$. However,hybrid seeds must be purchased every year because seeds collected from hybrid plants segregate and do not maintain hybrid characteristics in the next generation.
$3$. If hybrids are made into apomicts,there is no segregation of characters in the progeny.
$4$. This allows farmers to use seeds from their own harvest to raise new crops every year without having to buy expensive hybrid seeds annually.
$5$. Active research is ongoing to transfer apomictic genes into hybrid varieties to reduce costs for farmers.