Cytogenetical studies of some species of the genus Secale L. (Poaceae) in Iran

Karyotypic study of 15 populations and meiotic analysis of 7 populations belonging to 4 Secale subspecies and varieties grown wild in Iran were performed for the first time. The subspecies and varieties studied possessed 2n = 2x = 14 chromosome number, varied in their karyotypic formulae and symmetry and in their total chromatin length as well as size of the chromosomes, indicating the occurrence of both structural and quantitative changes in their genomes during the species diversification. The species studied formed mainly bivalents in metaphase of meiosis-I with a low amount of univalents and quadrivalents.