2016 Volume 81 Issue 4 Pages 389-394
Male meiotic studies were performed on 14 wild accessions of Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar from the Western Himalayas. The species, which is endemic to the state of Uttarakhand, has been worked out for chromosome counts for the first time. The aim of the study was to analyse in detail the male meiotic course, microsporogenesis and pollen formation. All the scored accessions exhibited the same diploid chromosome number, n=7, as confirmed through male meiotic studies and pollen mitosis. The majority of the accessions exhibited normal meiotic course with regular seven bivalents formation, equal distribution of chromosomes during anaphases, regular sporads and high pollen fertility. However, some accessions showed the phenomenon of non-synchronous disjunction (early and late) of some bivalents, univalent chromosomes and unequal and scattered distribution of chromosomes during A-I leading to reduction in pollen fertility. As such the meiotic irregularities in these individuals of I. devendrae seem to be under the effect of some genetic factors.
