Elimination and Duplication of Particular Hordeum vulgare Chromosomes in Aneuploid Interspecific Hordeum Hybrids

Seeds formed in crosses Hordeum lechleri (6x) x H. vulgare (2x and 4x), H. arizonicum (6x) x H. v. (2x), H. parodii (6x) x H. v. (2x), and H. tetraploidum (4x) x H. v. (2x) produced plants at high or rather high frequencies through embryo rescue. Giemsa C-banding patterns were used to analyze chromosomal constitutions and chromosomal locations on the methaphase plate.

Among 100 plants obtained from H. vulgare (2x) crosses, 32 plants were aneuploid with 2n=29 (1), 28 (3), 27 (13), 26 (5), 25 (4), 24 (4), or 22 (2); 50 were euploid (12 analyzed), and 18 were polyhaploid (5 analyzed). Four plants had two sectors differing in chromosome number. Two of four hybrids with H. vulgare (4x) were euploid and two were aneuploid.

Parental genomes were concentrically arranged with that of H. vulgare always found closest to the metaphase centre. Many plants showed a certain level of intraplant variation in chromosome numbers. Except for one H. vulgare (4x) hybrids, this variation was restricted to peripherally located non-H. vulgare genomes.

This may reflect a less firm attachment of the chromosomes from these genomes to the spindle. Interplant variation in chromosome numbers was due to the permanent elimination or, far less common, duplication of the centrally located H. vulgare chromosomes in all 34 aneuploids, and in a few also to loss/gain of non-H, vulgare chromosomes.

This selective elimination of chromosomes of the centrally located genome contrasts conditions found in diploid interspecific hybrids, which eliminate the peripherally located genome. The difference is attributed to changed "genomic ratios'. Derivatives of various H. vulgare lines were differently distributed among euploid hybrids, aneuploids, and polyhaploids.

Chromosomal constitutions of hypoploid hybrids revealed a preferential elimination of H. vulgare chromosomes 1, 5, 6, and 7, but did not support the idea that H. vulgare chromosomes should be lost in a specific order. H. vulgare SAT-chromosomes 6 and 7 showed nucleolar dominance. Aneuploidy is ascribed to the same chromosome elimination mechanism that produces haploids in cross-combinations with H. vulgare (2x).

The findings have implications for the utilization of interspecific Hordeum hybrids.