Abstract
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a minor small crop in Jordan; it has attracted a lot of attention as a substitute for conventionalvegetables throughout the world. There are conflicting reports about chromosome numbers in this species. To determine the ploidylevel of different okra genotypes, okra root tips were treated with HCl maceration, enzymatic maceration, and Carmine acid squashing.Treating cells with HCl didn’t macerate the cell in a way that enables chromosome count. The enzymatic treatment combinationshowed no significant effect on cell maceration. Carmine’s acetic acid squashing method was able to digest the cells but in a way thatall chromosomes from neighboring cells gathered, making it difficult to count them from each cell. Flow cytometry as an alternativeway to assess okra ploidy, was considered as an option. The genome size of okra ranged from 4.11 pg 2C in genotype 43 to 6.27 pg 2Cin genotype 30.
Publisher
The Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding