Consequence of Gamma Radiation Induced Cytomixis during Microsporogenesis in Fennel Plant (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) - Cytology and Genetics

Fennel is considered as a very important spice crop with powerful therapeutic potential. An improvement in this valuable crop, selected physical mutagen (Gamma irradiation) on the seeds with five selective doses viz., 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 Gy for break genetic consistency in narrow genetic base in Fennel crop, remunerative phenomenon of syncytes was seen in some cases, where complete chromatin was transmitted to the recipient PMC, that generates dimorphic pollen grain. Such pollen grain with varying genetic content plays a significant role in the emergence of intraspecific polyploidization of species. A curious biological process which is often observed in microsporogenesis of higher plants like, development of syncytes, cytomixis between plant cells and due to this the creation of big pollen has evolutionary relevance. The cytomictic behaviour of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. has been reported in this experiment.