Number of chromosomes found in rice gamete is:

The correct answer is Option (3) → 12

A gamete is formed by meiosis, which halves the chromosome number. So a gamete is haploid (n), while the meiocyte that makes it is diploid (2n). In rice the meiocyte has 24 chromosomes (2n = 24), so each gamete has 24 ÷ 2 = 12 chromosomes.

Option (1) 8 — Incorrect. It is not half of the rice number. Eight is the 2n number of the fruit fly, whose gametes have 4.

Option (2) 10 — Incorrect. Ten is the gamete number of maize (2n = 20), not rice.

Option (3) 12 — Correct. Rice has 24 chromosomes in its meiocyte. Gametes are formed by meiosis, which halves the number, so a rice gamete has 12 chromosomes.

Option (4) 14 — Incorrect. It does not fit rice; a gamete of rice carries half of 24.