Effect of weedicides on pollen mother cells of Ocimum basilicum Linn.

The plants of Ocimum basilicum L. were sprayed with different concentrations of aqueous solution of weedicides i.e. 2, 4-D (2, 4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid), Roundup (Isopropylamine salt of glyphosate) and Butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-a-chloro-2′ 6′ - diethylacetanilide), at flowering stage. All weedicides induced abnormalities in pollen mother cells of flower bud in the form of precocious movement of chromosomes at metaphase and anaphase, grouping, binucleate cells, trinucleate cells, multinucleate cells and sticky metaphase. More number of aberrant cells were recorded with Roundup.