biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 9:205-211, 1967 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02929739

B chromosome frequency in yugoslav rye populations

L. Zečević¹, Dobrila Paunović¹

¹ Division of Genetics, Institute for Biological Research, Beograd, Yugoslavia

The cytological analysis of 25 Yugoslav rye populations, collected from Slovenia Serbia and Macedonia, showed the presence of B chromosomes in the all populations analysed (100%). The number of B chromosomes present was small, from 1 to 3, while the average number per plant ranged from 0-13 to 0.97. The frequency of rye plants with B chromosomes for Yugoslavia had an average of 27.10%. The frequency of plants with B chromosomes and the average number of that chromosome category per plant were appreciably greater in the arid region of Macedonia than in the humid region of Slovenia, the differences being significant and real biometrically.
Comparing the data of other authors for primitive Asian rye populations, it was established that the B chromosome frequency is lowest in the populations from regions designed as centres of the origin of this plant species (Near East, Asia Minor), with a considerable successive increase of their frequency further as well toward the East (Transbaikal, Korea), as toward the West (Balkan Peninsula, Yugoslavia). Possible causes of the B chromosome frequency increase in the populations out of the centres of rye origin were discussed, and it was pointed out to the importance of their study in primitive West European populations.

Received: June 9, 1966; Published: May 1, 1967  Show citation