Morphological characterization and cytological studies of the green-stemmed and the red-stemmed Basella alba

Basella alba is an underutilized vegetable with ethnobotanical importance used for culinary as well as medicinal purposes in many parts of the world. Morphological characterization and chromosome studies of the mitotic and meiotic cells of the green stemmed and the red-stemmed B. alba was carried out with a view to filling the knowledge gaps that exist in their morphological characterization and also to provide insightful information on their chromosome numbers and meiotic behaviour. The B. alba accessions studied were characterized with respect to their habit, leaves, inflorescence, fruits and seeds. Mitotic and meiotic studies were carried out on the Basella accessions using standard techniques. The morphological studies revealed significant differences between the green-stemmed and red-stemmed Basella alba with respect to the green/red colour of their stems, colour of the flower bud apex, mean plant height at flower bud initiation, mean leaf length, mean leaf width, mean petiole length, mean flower per spike, mean fruit length and mean fruit diameter. The cytological study revealed a chromosome number of 2n=4x=44 for both the green-stemmed and the red-stemmed B. alba studied. It also revealed the occurrence of chromosomal aberrations such as stickiness and precocious migration of chromosomes to the poles during meiosis, which could lead to irregular chromosome segregation that could result in chromosome instability and aberrant meiotic products within the species.