Sexual Reproductive Efficiency of Artemisia Sieversiana Abounding Ladakh (Transhimalayan) Region in India

Artemisia sieversiana Ehrh. ex Willd. is an annual temperate species growing in the Himalayan belt including the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The wild populations of the species occurring at high altudunal ranges of Ladakh region of the state have been analysed for their cytological details and reproductive efficiency. Plant have a somatic chromosome count of 2n = 18 revealing it to be a diploid species based on x = 9, the most common base number in genus Artemisia L. Meiotic events are normal leading to high pollen viability. The species exhibits high sexual reproductive efficiency with number of florets per inflorescence averaging 121.9 which is much higher than the number reported for most of the Artemisia species including the one under discussion. The standard cytological composition leads to stable genetic system which impacts the reproductive efficiency of the species. This stable genetic system along with large pollen production and high seed set depicts the stable nature of the species.