Susmita Maity

Jute Biology, Diversity, Cultivation, Pest Control, Fiber Production and Genetics

The genus Corchorus, commonly known as jute, includes more than 170 species, all of which are annual fibrous plants. Jute fiber is totally biodegradable and compostable and therefore an extremely attractive renewable resource. While the cultivated species, C. olitorius L. and C. capsularis L., are economically important for fibre production, the wild species are considered important genetic resources for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and fine fibre trait. However, there are some constraints in jute cultivation and research. The cultivation requires lot of watering which is often hampered due to late showering and low moisture content in the air. Jute is very prone to disease and pest attack. Although application of pesticides is a popular preventive measure it also raises the issue of biomagnifications of those harmful chemicals by entering the food chain of the ecosystem. In addition, the fibre processing disturbs the environment by causing water pollution during retting. Some other negative issues related to its cultivation are indoor air emissions from the products, and greenhouse gas emission due to using waste jute for energy.

Cytomorphological studies in F2 , F3 and induced amphidiploid of jute (Corchorus trilocularis L. X Corchorus capsularis L.)

The F1 hybrids obtained from a cross between Corchorus trilocularis L. female and C. capsularis L. as male were used as mother stock to raise F2 and F3 plants. Observations recorded for various qualitative and quantitative traits as well as meiotic configurations showed close resemblance between F2 / F3 and mother F1 plants. Also, the amphidiploid (2n = 4× = 28) showed near normal pairing behavior supporting high bivalent pairing to the order of 12.95 bivalent and 2.10 univalent / cell coupled with high pollen fertility of 82.53%. However, the amphidiploids evinced reduced growth and low seed viability.