Meiotic behavior of wild Caricaceae species potentially suitable for papaya improvement

the purpose of this study was to evaluate the meiotic behavior and determine the meiotic index and pollen viability of representative plants of the wild species v. goudotiana, v. quercifolia and j. spinosa. meiotic analysis confirmed that the species are diploid and have 18 chromosomes. meiosis was partially normal, since some abnormalities, e.g, sticky and lagging chromosomes, precocious segregation, lack of synchrony, and disturbances in the spindle fibers were observed. these abnormalities resulted in post-meiotic products (monads, dyads, triads, and polyads) that probably contributed to the meiotic index of 85.7 % (v. goudotiana) to 95.9 % (j. spinosa); significant variation was observed in the species v. goudotiana. the pollen viability of 68.0 % (v. goudotiana) to 96.0 % (j. spinosa) was reasonably good in these wild species. crossings in breeding programs involving v. goudotiana should therefore be carefully planned, since part of the gametes of this species is unviable.