(go to KOMUGI Home) (go to WIS List) (go to NO.85 Contents)


Results and discussion

Seed of MT-4 Agrotriticum was grown in the field during 1988. Selection of plants with a high number of Agropyron chromosome pairs wa's carried out by morphological observations. Plants with grass-like appearance are expected to have more Agropyron chromosomes than plants with wheat-like appearance. Analysis of 15 cells in mitosis showed an average of 2n=42 chromosomes (range 40-46). Further field selection was carried out in 1989 and 1990. MT-4-1 is a single seed progeny of MT-4 and MT-4-1-1 a single seed progeny of MT-4-1. Forty-eight cells of 22 plants of MT-4-1- 1 were studied in mitosis. All had 2n=42 chromosomes. The karyotype indicated that chromosomes 3A and 4B which were missing in MT-2 are replaced in MT-4-1-1. MT-4-1-1 was selected for its karyotype stability and its euploid nature.

MT-4-1-1 carries 7 chromosome pairs derived from its A. intermedium parent which can be identified by their C- banding patterns and morphology (Fig. 1). The C-banding patterns of these chromosomes are similar to those reported earlier (Aizatulina et al. 1989; Friebe et al. 1992). However, the large extent of polymorphic variation as well as structural rearrangements in A. intermedium itself make it presently difficult to assign these chromosomes to the homoeologous groups of the Triticeae. So far, the homoeologous relationships of nine A. intermedium chromosomes have been established (Foster et al. 1987, Friebe et al. 1992). The, C-banding analysis, of MT-4-1-1 confirms earlier reports of the hexaploid nature of MT-4. A picture of MT-4-1-1 spikes shows the morphology of this plant type which has wheat and grass characteristics (Fig. 2). Seed of MT-4-1-1 is available from the author for research purposes.


References

Aizatulina KHS, Yachevskaya GL and Pereladova TP (1989) Study of the genome structure of Agropyron intermedium (Host) Beauv. Tsitolog Genet 23: 15 -22.

Brim CA (1966) A modified pedigree method of selection in soybeans. Crop Sci 6: 220.

Friebe B, Mukai Y, Gill BS and Cauderon Y (1992) Chromosome and genome analysis by C-banding and in situ hybridization of Agropyron intermedium, a partial wheat x A. intermedium amphiploid, and six chromosome addition lines. Theor Appl, Genet 83: 775-782.

Foster BP, Reader SM, Forsyth SA, Koebner RMD, Miller TE, Gale MD and Cauderon Y (1987) An assessment of the homology of six Agropyron chromosomes added to wheat. Genet Res 50: 91-97.

Gill BS, Friebe B and Endo TR (1991) Standard karyotype and nomenclature system for description of chromosome bands and structural- abbreviations in wheat (Triticum aestivum L). Genome 34: 830-839.

SchuIz-Schaeffer. J (1970) The Triticum x Agropyron hybridization project at Montana State University. Wheat Inf Serv 30: 26-29.

Schulz-Schaeffer J (1989) Registration of Montana-4 annual hexaploid x Agrotriticum germplasm. Crop Sci 29:1098.1

Schulz-Schaeffer J and Friebe B (1992) Karyological characterization of a partial amphiploid, Triticum turgidum L var. durum x Agropyron intermedium (Hoot) P.B. Euphytica 62: 83-88.

Schulz-Schaeffer J and Haller SE (1987) Registration of Montana-2 perennial x Agrotriticum intermediodurum Khizhnyak. Crop Sci 27: 822-823.

SchuIz-Schaeffer J and Haller SE (1988) Alien chromosome addition in durum, wheat. II. Advanced progeny. Genome 30: 303-306.

SchuIz-Schaeffer J and McNeal FH (1977) Alien chromosome addition in wheat. Crop Sci 17: 891-896.

Smith DC (1942) Intergeneric hybridization of cereals and other grasses. J Agric Res 64: 33.

<--Back

(go to KOMUGI Home) (go to WIS List) (go to NO.85 Contents)