<jats:p> The BABY BOOM (BBM) AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE (AIL) AP2/ERF domain transcription factor is a major regulator of plant cell totipotency, as it induces asexual embryo formation when ectopically expressed. Surprisingly, only limited information is available on the role of <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> during zygotic embryogenesis. Here we reexamined <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> expression and function in the model plant <jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</jats:italic> ( <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> ) using reporter analysis and newly developed CRISPR mutants. <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> was expressed in the embryo from the zygote stage and also in the maternal (nucellus) and filial (endosperm) seed tissues. Analysis of CRISPR mutant alleles for <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> ( <jats:italic>bbm-cr</jats:italic> ) and the redundantly acting <jats:italic>AIL</jats:italic> gene <jats:italic>PLETHORA2</jats:italic> ( <jats:italic>PLT2</jats:italic> ) ( <jats:italic>plt2-cr</jats:italic> ) uncovered individual roles for these genes in the timing of embryo progression. We also identified redundant roles for <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>PLT2</jats:italic> in endosperm proliferation and cellularization and the maintenance of zygotic embryo development. Finally, we show that ectopic <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> expression in the egg cell of <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> and the dicot crops <jats:italic>Brassica napus</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Solanum lycopersicon</jats:italic> is sufficient to bypass the fertilization requirement for embryo development. Together these results highlight roles for <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>PLT2</jats:italic> in seed development and demonstrate the utility of <jats:italic>BBM</jats:italic> genes for engineering asexual embryo development in dicot species. </jats:p>