MEIOTIC BEHAVIOUR OF POLLEN MOTHER CELLS IN EIGHT GENOTYPES OF PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.) UNDER WATER DEFICIT

The meiotic behaviour of pollen mother cells has a key role in the male gametophyte development and realizing the production in the vegetable crops. Due to that reason, the investigation of the microsporogenesis response towards the abiotic stress takes more and more central role in nowadays breeding. The current study includes cytological analysis of the PMCs meiosis that could serve for evaluation of the drought tolerance achieved through decreasing the watering standard by 50% in eight pepper Capsicum annuum L. genotypes. It was found that the water deficit influences negatively over the nuclear restitution in the studied genotypes as in 62.8% of all studied PMCs were found disturbances from type: non-oriented chromosome with irregularities in the division spindles and lagged chromosomes. The disturbances in the chromosome segregation as a result of drought lead to formation of heterogeneous populations of microspores including 17.8% average dyads and triads, 38.9% polyads and 43.2% tetrads. The results obtained will help for not only better understanding of the meiotic division mechanisms and disturbances that occur as a result of the abiotic stress but also contribute for development of economically appropriate germplasm that could respond to the nowadays climate challenges.