Evidence of nonchiasmate bonds at metaphase I in inbred rye

The loss of bound chromosome arms through early, middle, and late metaphase I has been analyzed in a plant of inbred rye (Secale cereale L.) heterozygous for a terminal heterochromatic C-band of the long arm of chromosome 1R. From the increase in the number of univalent pairs due to bound arm loss, and from the comparison between the frequencies of bound arms at metaphase I and recombinant chromosomes at anaphase I, it is concluded that some of the chromosome bonds appearing at metaphase I are actually nonchiasmate associations that can be considered as remnants of prophase pairing. Conclusions concerning recombination obtained solely from the analysis of chiasma frequency measured as bound arms may be invalid.Key words: inbred rye, C-heterochromatin, meiotic pairing, nonchiasmate bonds.