Karyotype analysis of Aeluropus species (Poaceae)

Abstract

Aeluropus, a member of Poaceae subfam. Chloridoideae, includes six species, three of which occur in Iran. They are perennial halophytes of deserts and coastal marshlands of Iran. The genus is considered as a rich genetic source for gene manipulation and using it for crop improvement. Previous studies showed that members of Chloridoideae have small chromosomes and the base chromosome number n = 10. There are few chromosome records for Aeluropus species. Somatic metaphases of seven populations of three Aeluropus species were studied. The first chromosome counts (2n = 20) based on Iranian material for three species, A. macrostachyus, A. littoralis and A. lagopoides, are concordant with previous records outside Iran; mitotic number for A. macrostachyus is recorded here for the first time.