Cytological Studies on Chironja

Abstract

Studies on somatic chromosomes in leaf-tips and meiosis in pollen mother cells were carried out in chironja, a new citrus fruit discovered in Puerto Rico. Meiotic abnormalities such as non-pairing regions at pachytene, occurrence of univalents and quadrivalents at diakinesis and metaphase I and presence of a well-marked heteromorphic bivalent at metaphase I were recorded. Based on the data gathered through meiotic studies, together with morphological and other circumstantial evidence, it appears that chironja may have arisen as a hybrid.