Mitotic index studies on Treculia africana Decne. in Nigeria

Treculia africana Decne., (African bread fruit; wild jack fruit, or African boxwood), is a neglected and underexploited tropical tree crop belonging to the taxonomic family Moraceae. Mitotic index study was conducted on this species using fresh healthy root tips harvested from germinated seedlings. It was observed that cell division took place at all time in the day and night but took place more in the day time than at night. The most intense period of mitosis was between 2:00 and 6:00 pm with a peak at 4:00 pm (Nigerian Time). Mitotic counts showed that the number of prophase cells decreased when that of metaphase increased as the day progressed. The peak of anaphase was during the early hours of the night at 8:00 pm. The proportion of interphase cells reduced while that of dividing cells increased before the peak of metaphase. Information made available in this work henceforth pave the way for further progress in cytological and cytogenetic research towards improvement of this crop plant.