Plant synergid embryonic potential is unlocked following egg cell collapse.

Synergid cells acquire competence to initiate embryogenesis after egg cell collapse, taking over egg-cell function without undergoing fate conversion to adopt egg identity.

• Why it matters: Plant reproduction depends on precise cell-cell communication, but how synergid–egg interplay specifies roles during fertilization has remained unclear.
• What they did: The study shows synergid cells can trigger cell division for embryogenesis following egg cell collapse, and it builds an in planta haploid-induction system independent of conventional haploid-inducing genes.
• The result: The haploid-induction system works in tomato as well, suggesting an intrinsic synergid embryogenic potential unlocked by egg collapse and enabling haploid production across diverse plant species.