Abstract
Present work embodies cytological analysis of Luffa cylindrica (L.)M.Roem., an economically important Cucurbit. L. cylindrica is found only under cultivation and has a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 26. Ten cultivars of this species collected from different parts of Jammu province of J&K state (India) were studied for their reproductive features, meiotic behaviour and somatic chromosome complement. All of them displayed some anomalies during meiosis that resulted in low pollen viability. This undesirable trait was however compensated by bold reproductive features and efficient pollen transfer in the species leading to high fruit and seed set. Mitotic studies revealed L. cylindrica to have stable diploid chromosome number with a primitive and little evolved karyotype. Presence of multivalents and erratic anaphase segregation during meiosis however point towards some structural rearrangements in the chromosomes which are difficult to detect because of small size of chromosomes and little variation in their size.
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