Genetic control of meiotic chromosome pairing in tetraploid Agropyron elongatum. I. Pattern of pairing in natural and induced tetraploids and in F1 triploid hybrids

Meiotic chromosome pairing was studied in natural and induced tetraploid Agropyron elongatum, as well as in triploid hybrids between natural tetraploid and diploid cytotypes. The natural tetraploids showed a highly regular, diploid-like pairing, while the induced ones showed an average of two to three multivalents per cell. A high level of pairing was exhibited by the triploid hybrids, 4.15 bivalents and 2.82 trivalents per cell, supporting the assumption that the natural tetraploid is of an autoploid origin. Frequencies of meiotic configurations of the induced tetraploid and of the F1 triploid hybrids deviated significantly from the expected values based on a model assuming random pairing within one homologous group in autoploids: the observed data were characterized by fewer multivalents than expected, indicating a tendency towards bivalentization. This tendency is fully realized in the natural tetraploid. The presence of a pairing-control system in these autoploids, most probably a genetic one, that determines bivalent rather than multivalent pairing is suggested.Key words: Agropyron, pairing, bivalentization, tetraploid, multivalents.