Title: A Report on Genetic Male Sterility in Uraria picta (Jacq.) DC.
Abstract: A male sterile-female fertile mutant of Uraria picta (Jacq.) DC. (Family-Leguminosae, Papillionoidae), possessing dwarf habit, normal chromosome behaviour at meiosis and 100.0% sterile pollen grains (1.00% EMS, 6 h; 0.16% over the M2 mutant population), was identified and it segregated into 4 normal and 3 mutant plants at M3 (70 seeds sown, 11 plants germinated, but 7 survived till maturity). Out of 3 mutants, 1 plant showed abnormal meiosis, 100.0% sterile pollen grains with size variations and in some cases pollen grain agglutination, and the other 2 plants instead showed normal meiosis and 100.0% sterile pollen grains; these were designated as MS1 and MS2 respectively. Meiotic chromosome analysis and studies of pollen grains (pollen viability tests: Lugol's Iodine, Aniline blue, x-gal, Amido black, TTC, Neutral red and Methylene blue; DAPI staining for pollen nuclei; SEM analysis) in relation to untreated control revealed possible differential gene behaviour in MS1 (evident in microsporogenesis as well as microgametogenesis) and MS2 (microsporogenesis only). Male sterility is a non-structural nuclear type (monogenic recessive–ms1 ms1) and is being reported for first time in the species.