Question

Which one can induce polyploidy?

• A. Colchicine
• B. Acridines
• C. Ethylene
• D. Maleic hydrazide

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Colchicine

Alkaloid colchicine inhibits the micro tubules to assemble to form spindle fibers. Since chromosome segregation is driven by microtubules, colchicine is also used for inducing polyploidy in plant cells during cellular division by inhibiting chromosome segregation during meiosis; half the resulting gametes, therefore, contain no chromosomes, while the other half contains double the usual number of chromosomes (i.e., diploid instead of haploid, as gametes usually are), and lead to embryos with double the usual number of chromosomes (i.e., tetraploid instead of diploid).

So, the correct answer is 'Colchicine'.