Cytological Alterations in Eragrostis Regenerants

FRAYSSINET N; CARDONE S; POLCI P; MROGINSKI L; V ECHENIQUE

CYTOLOGIA

UNIV TOKYO CYTOLOGIA

Año: 1999 vol. 64 p. 129 - 135

0011-4545

Weeping lovegrass, Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees, is an important apomictic forage grass for semiarid regions. The aim of this work was to study the effect of in vitro culture in the mitotic and meiotic behaviour of regenerated weeping lovegrass plants. Thirty two plants were obtained from in vitro culture of inflorescences segments in MS medium with different concentrations of BAP(0.01, 0.1, 1, 2, 5 mg-1) and 2,4-D (1, 2, 4, 6, 8 mg-1). Ten of these plants were taken at random in order to determine the chromosome number and analyze the meiotic behaviour. In the regenerated plants it was possible to observe mixoploidy and meiotic disturbances like alterations in chromatin condensation, meiocytes degeneration, diminution in pollen mother cells and pollen grains quantity, abnormal pairing, bridges and fragments and no pollen formation. Because the apomictic nature of this grass and the uniformity of this cultivar, stable genetic variability that involve phenotypical and biochemical traits due to karyological variation could be potentially used for crop improvement