Meiotic behavior and its impact on sexual reproductive output in <i>Gloriosa superba</i> L. from Siwalik sub-Himalayan range of J&K, India

The studies on meiotic behavior, pollen viability, and seed set are important for devising conservation strategies for a particular plant species. The presence of meiotic bottlenecks directly influences the reproductive success of a plant species. The present study elaborates on chromosome number, male meiotic behavior, pollen viability, and seed set in six populations of Gloriosa superba, an important medicinal plant. The chromosome count recorded across all these populations was predominantly 2n=2x=22; however, anomalies in the form of laggards, inter-chromosomal connections, and precocious separation of bivalents were observed. In one of the populations, synizetic knot stage and inter-chromosomal connections were seen. At anaphase I, along with the normal segregation of 11 : 11 chromosomes, irregular segregations of 9 : 8, 11 : 9, 9 : 9, and 10 : 10 were also recorded. Both fruit and seed set percentages were very low for the species. We speculate that meiotic abnormalities are one of the reasons contributing to low reproductive output in Gloriosa superba.