Meiotic Irregularities in Lavatera cachemiriana, an Endemic, Endangered and Ethnomedicinal Herb of Kashmir Himalaya

Abstract

Meiotic studies were carried out in 14 wild accessions of Lavatera cachemiriana, an important medicinal herb, collected from various localities of Kashmir Himalaya. The selected plant has anti-cancer and anti-bacterial properties and could prove beneficial in phyto-pharmacological research for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs. At present, male meiosis, microsporogenesis and pollen grain studies have been carried out in various populations of L. cachemiriana collected from different altitudinal zones of Kashmir Himalaya. All the presently worked out accessions share the same meiotic chromosome number n=21. The meiotic course in all the populations is found to be abnormal. The meiotic irregularities like stickiness, interbivalent connections, unoriented bivalents, laggards, bridges, non-synchronous disjunction (early and late disjunction), and formation of micronuclei leading to abnormal microsporogenesis were investigated for the first time for the species that existed at diploid level (2n=42). Consequently, variable sized fertile pollen grains and considerable amount of sterile pollens were the result. The abnormal meiosis coupled with pollen sterility has great influence on the reproductive potential and survival of this endangered species.