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The absence of spikelets occurs when certain genetic factors come together in F1 hybrid and the gene interaction affects the spikelet formation at early stage of spike development. It will be premature to propound any hypothesis but the assumption is that the suppression of spikelets in the rachis is caused by the epistatic interaction of genes in the hybrid. It is likely that the initial differentiation of cells determining the development of rachis, spikelets and florets is suppressed due to the interaction of certain genetic factors coming together in F1 hybrid from different parents. Unequal distribution of primordial cells to the developing spikelets may also lead, to differential expression of spikelet suppression in the same F1 plant.

The pentaploid (2n = 5x = 35, genome AABBD) F1 hybrid had 13.52 + or - 0.21 mean bivalents and 7.78 + or - 0.23 mean univalents. No other chromosome configurations were observed, except in the hybrid involving Kalyansona where trivalents and quadrivalents were recorded in low frequencies. A pentaplold hybrid is an aneuploid hybrid chromosomally unstable but the absence of spikelets on the rachis noticed in F1's and also in F2 generation derived after selfing the pentaploid hybrid seems to be genie and is not due to aneuploidy.

Production of abnormal spikes restrict the choice of parents to produce desirable cross combinations. It will be worthwhile to identify deleterious genes responsible for abnormal development of spike.


Reference

Tomar SMS, Kochumadhavan M, Nambisan PNN and Joshi BC (1988) Proc 7th Int Wheat Genet Symp at Cambridge, England. Vol 1: 165-168.

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