Genome Analysis of Agropyron Repens × Agropyron Cristatum Synthetic Hybrids

Abstract

Hexaploid A. repens, 2n = 42, and diploid A. cristatum, 2n = 14, were hybridized and gave rise to two 28‐chromosome reciprocal hybrids. Approximately 1% of hand‐emasculated florets of both parent species produced viable hybrid seed following controlled pollination. Early embryo abortion prevented greater hybrid seed set on A. repens, whereas failure of fertilization appeared to be the major cause of poor hybrid seed set on A. cristatum. Reciprocal differences in hybrid vegetative and spike morphology were striking. The A. repens × A. cristatum hybrid was vigorous, highly rhizomatous, and bore abundant spikes whose morphology was intermediate between that of the parent species. A. cristatum × A. repens hybrids were weak, non‐rhizomatous with frequently‐malformed spikes. Mean chromosome associations of 0.10 I, 20.10 II, and 0.43 IV were observed in 134 metaphase‐I cells of A. repens. Subsequent meiotic stages were regular except for occasional laggards and bridges at anaphase I and II. Metaphase‐I chromosome associations averaged 0.07 I and 6.97 II in 124 A. cristatum cells. Chromosome pairing in the hybrids was highly variable and averaged 11.45 I, 7.58 II, 0.44 III, and 0.02 IV per cell in 187 cells interpreted. From 5 to 14 laggards appeared in every hybrid cell at anaphase I. Bridges were observed in approximately 25% of the anaphase‐I cells. Similar irregularities were observed at anaphase II. Pollen viability was estimated as 3%, and the hybrids failed to set viable seed. On the basis of chromosome pairing in the species itself and in the hybrids, A. repens was designated as a segmental autoallohexaploid with a genome formula of the type A1A1A2A2BB. Although A. repens and A. cristatum chromosomes paired occasionally, the genomes of the 2 species were essentially non‐homologous. Some of the interpretational difficulties of genome analysis were discussed.

Meiotic behaviour in natural diploid, tetraploid, and commercial diploid crested wheatgrass

“…Agropyron cristatum is a member of the "crested wheatgrass complex" (Sarkar 1956) which is a polymorphic species aggregate (Dewey 1964;Asay & Dewey 1979;Ray et al 1997). Agropyron cristatum includes diploid (2n = 14), tetraploid (2n = 28) and hexaploid (2n = 42) forms (Dewey 1964;Asay & Dewey 1979;Ray et al 1997) and each ploidy level possesses the same basic genome with some structural modifications (Dewey 1984).…”

“…Agropyron cristatum includes diploid (2n = 14), tetraploid (2n = 28) and hexaploid (2n = 42) forms (Dewey 1964;Asay & Dewey 1979;Ray et al 1997) and each ploidy level possesses the same basic genome with some structural modifications (Dewey 1984). Agropyron desertorum is a tetraploid form of crested wheatgrass whose genome constitution is well documented (Knowles 1955;Dewey 1963).…”