Question

Polyploidy can be produced artificially by

• A. Colchicine
• B. Inbreeding
• C. Line breeding
• D. Self pollination

Answer 1

The correct option is A Colchicine

Colchicine is a medication most commonly used to treat gout. It is a toxic natural product and secondary metabolite, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum (autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale, also known as "meadow saffron").

Colchicine's ability to induce polyploidy can be also exploited to render infertile hybrids fertile.
When used to induce polyploidy in plants, colchicine cream is usually applied to a growth point of the plant, such as an apical tip, shoot, or sucker. Also, seeds can be presoaked in a colchicine solution before planting. Another way to induce polyploidy is to chop off the tops of plants and carefully examine the regenerating lateral shoots and suckers to see if any look different. If no visual difference is evident, flow cytometry can be used for analysis.