Gibberellic acid-mediated male sterility during gametogenesis of Brassica campestris L

The present work was done to elucidate the impact of gibberellic acid (GA3) on male meiosis of Brassica campestris L. with an aim to study its cytological peculiarities. Microsporogenesis analysis of distilled water treated sets displayed the normal meiotic and post-meiotic courses. However GA3 sprayed sets possessed several meiotic manifestations followed by disturbed postmeiosis. In present case meiotic irregularities followed by unusual tetrad configurations such as tetrad having randomly arranged microspores, completely vacant (sterile) tetrad, monad (microsporesac bearing one microspore), dyad (two microspores), triad (three microspores) and polyads (more than four microspores) were registered. As a consequence of such an anomalous microsporogenesis, pollen fertility rate of the present crop has been declined considerably in a dose dependent manner whereas its direct and negative influence on the reproductive success of the test crop has been determined. In ours study, marked dropdown in the reproductive success has been recorded; which was estimated on the basis of rate of increased pollen abortion which in turn led to considerable decreased seed set of crop at maturity.