National Botanic Gardens, Lucknow
Though there is regular meiosis in autotetraploid Blond psyllium, data of C2 generation shows that, its seed number falls by 29.2 per cent per plant, but because of 50 per cent increase in seed volume there is 11.1 percent increase in water soluble mucilage per plant. Besides there is increase in pentosan content, absorbency and vicosity of mucilage from tetraploid seed. In C6 the seed yield per plant registers a fall of 32.42 per cent as compared to diploid counterpart. A rigorous selection for number of tillers and spikes per plant and flowers and fertile ovules per inflorescence will increase seed yield per plant which will boost considerably the superiority of crop at tetraploid level.
