Meiotic behavior of a new tetraploid cytotype of Brazilian nightshade from Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India

ABSTRACT

The present study provides details of male meiosis on a population basis in Solanum seaforthianum Andrews of family Solanaceae from Mount Abu (Rajasthan). In total five populations are worked out from different localities of Mount Abu. Three accessions are reported at diploid level (n = 12) and two populations at tetraploid level (n = 24). The tetraploid cytotype is a new chromosome addition for the species worldwide. The tetraploid cytotype shows abnormal spindle behavior leading to the formation of unoriented bivalents, scattered chromosomes at anaphases and telophases, multipolarity, laggards and irregular microsporogenesis and high pollen sterility. Morphologically the two cytotypes are identical and do not show any significant difference.

KEYWORDS:

• Irregular-spindle formation
• meiosis
• Solanum seaforthianum
• microsporogenesis
• Mount Abu

Acknowledgments

The first author is highly thankful to DBT-IPLS for providing Senior Research Fellowship (ref. no. BT/PR 4548/NF/22/146/2012) and Head, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala for providing necessary laboratory facilities. We are also thankful to Director of Botanical Survey of India, Jodhpur for their invaluable help in identification of plant species.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology [BT/PR 4548/NF/22/146/2012].