A Complete Set of Maize Individual Chromosome Additions to the Oat Genome

Abstract

Abstract All 10 chromosomes of maize (Zea mays, 2n = 2x = 20) were recovered as single additions to the haploid complement of oat (Avena sativa, 2n = 6x = 42) among F1 plants generated from crosses involving three different lines of maize to eight different lines of oat. In vitro rescue culture of more than 4,300 immature F1 embryos resulted in a germination frequency of 11% with recovery of 379 F1plantlets (8.7%) of moderately vigorous growth. Some F1plants were sectored with distinct chromosome constitutions among tillers of the same plant and also between root and shoot cells. Meiotic restitution facilitated development of un-reduced gametes in the F1. Self-pollination of these partially fertile F1 plants resulted in disomic additions (2n = 6x + 2 = 44) for maize chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. Maize chromosome 8 was recovered as a monosomic addition (2n = 6x + 1 = 43). Monosomic additions for maize chromosomes 5 and 10 to a haploid complement of oat (n = 3x + 1 = 22) were recovered several times among the F1 plants. Although partially fertile, these chromosome 5 and 10 addition plants have not yet transmitted the added maize chromosome to F2 offspring. We discuss the development and general utility of this set of oat-maize addition lines as a novel tool for maize genomics and genetics.