Reproductive and Breeding Behaviour of Palmarosa (Cymbopogon Martinii Wats)

Breeding behaviour of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii) studied in self, cross and open pollinations. The hermaphrodite flowers constituted only 25 to 35% of the florets in an inflorescence and the rest were staminate florets. Pollen fertility varied from 84 to 96% in staminate and hermaphrodite florets. The seed set was 15% in self, 50% in cross, and 64% in open pollinations. Few pollen tubes were noticed to traverse inside stigma and penetrate through the stylar region under self-pollination. Low seed set on setting may be due to some self-incompatibility system in palmarosa.