Abstract
The pollen and seed fertility status of 75 clones of Vetiveria zizanioides (Linn.) Nash collected from different parts of India was assessed as an essential prerequisite for the formulation of a rational programme of improvement. In view of the surprisingly high pollen sterility in some of the clones, a preliminary cytological study of microsporogenesis in four clones of differing fertility was undertaken. It appeared that univalent formation at diakinesis and metaphase and lagging at anaphase resulting in the elimination of chromatin material was closely correlated with the observed sterility.
