Female meiosis in plants, and differential recombination in the two sexes: a perspective

Studying female meiosis in plants have eluded the plant cytogeneticists owing to the technical challenges faced while handling and ensuring an intact Embryo sac mother cell (EMC) with analyzable chromosomes. This made the study of male meiosis the favorite of cytogeneticists who could examine a large sample of Pollen mother cells (PMCs) with ease. Consequently, the meiotic behavior of female sex track was inferred from the male sex cells assuming that synchrony existed between the two cells. However, the comparative meiotic studies, though carried out in small number of plant species, revealed differential behavior of chromosomes in two sex cells which did not follow any sex specific pattern. Variation in chiasma frequency and its position have been noticed in the two sex cells indicating differential contribution of two sexes in releasing genetic variants. Since recombination data is crucial to a breeder longing to develop novel varieties by creating plants with desirable set of genes, the study of female meiosis assumes greater significance. The present review summarizes the asynchrony examined in the two types of sex cells along with the possible causal factors responsible for this.

Automated summary

Studying female meiosis in plants has been challenging due to technical difficulties in handling intact Embryo sac mother cells with analyzable chromosomes. The favored choice for cytogeneticists has been studying male meiosis using Pollen mother cells. However, comparative meiotic studies have revealed differential behavior of chromosomes in the two sex cells, indicating the need for separate study of female meiosis. This review summarizes the asynchrony observed in the two types of sex cells and explores possible causal factors.