Genome size in Argentinean species of Passiflora genus: cytological and phenotypical correlates

Abstract

The genus Passiflora is the largest of the Passifloraceae family with many species and great phenotypic variability. There are nineteen species of Passiflora native to Argentina, distributed in four taxonomic subgenera: Passiflora, Decaloba, Dysosmia and Tacsonioides. Unlike most species of the genus, Argentinean species could tolerate colder climates. For most Argentinean species, genome size information is unavailable. The objective of this work has been to estimate the genomic size of 36 genotypes of thirteen Passiflora taxa by flow cytometry and to make a contrast with phenotypic ornamental characteristics. The genomic sizes of P. tucumanensis, P. elegans and P. mooreana are being introduced for the first time. The DNA amount per basic genome varied between 0.54 and 2.52 picograms in P. capsularis and P. alata, respectively. In the species P. caerulea, P. elegans and P. edulis f. flavicarpa, intraspecific variation in genomic size has been registered. The high correlation of genome size with flower diameter, and of leaf area with flower diameter can contribute to the selection of parents for the ornamental plant improvement plan. Also, the data collected in this work will be very useful in the study of inter-specific hybrids.