AN ANALYSIS OF FREQUENCIES OF CHROMOSOME CONFIGURATIONS IN WHEAT AND WHEAT HYBRIDS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Presynaptic association of homologous chromosomes is a prerequisite to the sequence of events that lead to chiasma formation. This association of homologous chromosomes, as entire units, occurs with probability a, and chiasma formation occurs independently in opposite chromosome arms with probability c. a and c have been estimated from frequencies of different chromosome configurations at metaphase I of euhexaploid wheat and several derived lines. In the euploid, a is essentially unity and c is of the order of 95%. All changes in the aneuploidy studied involved c rather than a, whereas the change induced by colchicine application primarily involved a.—Observed and expected frequencies of configurations were compared in wheat hybrids in which only homoeologues were present. The expected frequencies of configurations were estimated from the data, based on a being unity for entire groups of homoeologues and c being the probability of chiasma formation between random homoeologous arms. Observed and expected frequences of configurations were in general agreement; however, an excess of observed closed bivalents at the expense of multivalents is interpreted to mean that not all homoeologues are effectively associated in all cells.—In euhexaploid wheat, we suggest that homologues associate with almost certainty, whereas homoeologous pairs of chromosomes associate less efficiently. The aneuploidy examined in this study does not appear to affect the association of chromosomes, but rather the number of chiasmata that eventuate and, in the case of deficiency of chromosome 5B the distribution of chiasmata within homoelogues, perhaps by way of rendering sites for chiasma formation of homoelogues more similar.