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Plantago major belongs to the genus Plantago and family Plantaginaceae. Plantago major is extensively
naturalized all through much of the globe.
The name Plantago comes from Latin word “planta”, meaning “sole of the foot” which refers to the
broad leaves in the basal rosettes, often touching the ground in some species. The meiotic studies of
Plantago major plants revealed 12 chromosomes. The various stages of meiosis viz; Pachytene,
Diplotene, Diakinesis, Metaphase and Anaphase were observed. The number of Rod Bivalents was 05,
Ring Bivalent (01) & Nucleolar Chromosomes were 02 in P.major. The Chiasmata Frequency was
calculated at Metaphase-I (/PMC=04, /II=1-2) and at Diakinesis was (/PMC=11, /II=02). The other
parameters studied included Recombination Index and Terminalization Coefficient. The Recombination
Index at Diakinesis of P. major was 17 and at Metaphase was 7-8 respectively. The Terminalization
Coefficient was 0.25 in P. major. The Anaphase-I was regular in all of the PMCs. The number of late
separating bivalents was 01.
Key words: Plantaginaceae, Plantago major, Meiosis, Recombination Index, Terminalization Coefficient,
Chromosome number.