Meiotic Studies in Some Polypetalous Species from District Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), India

Abstract

At present, meiotic studies have been carried out on a population basis covering 23 species belonging to 13 genera and 10 families of Polypetalae from District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh. New reports in the form of varied chromosome numbers have been marked for the first time on a world-wide basis for 13 species, namely Bupleurum lanceolatum (n=16), Impatiens bicolor (n=8), I. racemosa (n=7), I. sulcata (n=7), Medicago polymorpha (n=16), Fumaria indica (n=8), Geranium lucidum (n=13), G. ocellatum (n=13), Hypericum elodeoides (n=8), H. japonicum (n=16), Malva verticillata (n=21), Epilobium roseum (n=9), Geum roylei (n=14), Rosa macrophylla (n=14) and Triumfetta pilosa (n=16). Six species, namely Boenninghausenia albiflora (n=10), Circaea alpina (n=11), E. palustre (n=18), Rosa brunonii (n=7) and R. indica (n=7), have been cytologically worked out for the first time from India, along with additional cytotypes for 3 Indian materials, namely Abutilon indicum (n=7), E. cylindricum (n=9) and Oxalis corniculata (n=7). Amongst these species, the course of meiosis varies from normal to abnormal in different populations of Malva neglecta, Rosa brunonii and R. indica whereas all the studied accessions of Bupleurum lanceolatum, Geum roylei, Impatiens sulcata, Oxalis corniculata and Rosa macrophylla have been found to be abnormal. The meiotic abnormalities include various phenomenon such as cytomixis, chromatin stickiness, unoriented bivalents, laggards, chromatin bridges and multipolarity at different stages of meiosis along with abnormal microsprogenesis ultimately leading to reduced pollen fertility and formation of heterogenous sized pollen grains.