RESUMEN
The present study is based on four populations of Trifolium fragiferum L. of the family Fabaceae growing at four different sites in Jammu region, India. The species, which grows as a common weed in the area of study, follows an annual life cycle of about 3½month in the subtropical climates of Jammu region. While all of these populations were recorded in full bloom during February and March, they displayed a temporal scatter. Detailed studies revealed these population types to be morphologically similar but distinct in the many aspects studied. An interesting phenomenon noted for the plants of this species was in situ pollen germination, which was recorded in about 28.8% of the flowers studied. The species under investigation also showed an appreciable amount of ovule abortion. The ovule abortion in pistils was found to be non-random, with the peduncular ovule aborting at a higher rate than the stylar one. The rates and patterns of ovule abortion were studied vis-à-vis in situ pollen germination and were compared between different populations. Interesting results were obtained, indicative of the fact that precocious pollen germination does affect the ovule abortion in one way or other.
RESUMEN
Cassava is the main staple for more than 800 million people in the tropics. It is propagated vegetatively by stem cuttings, which maintains superior genotypes but favors disease accumulation and spread. In this report, we present the results of the screening of the progeny and the second generation of the clone UnB 307 for apomixes using microsatellites. A total of 29 plants were screened, representing the maternal plant, its first and second generations that were left to open pollination. About 20% of the offspring were rated as genetically identical plants. This result confirms the facultative apomictic nature of cassava, with high environmental effect.