Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding

Chromosome pairing analysis in interspecific hybrids among tetraploid species of Eleusine (Poaceae)

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The genus Eleusine Gaertn. (Poaceae) comprises 9-
12 species of predominantly African origin, including
four polyploid species, viz., E. africana, E. coracana (2n
= 36) and E. kigeziensis (2n = 38) are reported as
allotetraploid, and E. floccifolia (2n = 36) reported as
autoployploid [1, 2]. All the species grows in wild except
E. coracana which is a cultivated species commonly
known as finger millet. E. africana is considered a close
relative of cultivated species. E. coracana is an
allotetraploid and proposed the genomic notation of
AABB for this species as well as E. africana [3, 4]. E.
africana is annual species first reported [5] from Africa
as a tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36) form of E. indica (2n = 2x
= 18). Morphologically E. africana looks very similar to
E. indica. On the basis of morphological characters
particularly the length of the lemma and different
chromosome separated this tetraploid form from the
diploid form raised it to species level [6]. Apart from
Africa E. africana is reported from India [7, 9] and the
presence of E. africana in India appears an introduction
as a contaminant of imported seeds of finger millet or it
might have originated as a reversion from an escaped
finger millet [9]. Eleusine kigeziensis is perennial
belongs to small area from Kigezi province, Uganda and
some parts of the Congo and Rwanda Southwards into
Brundi [10]. It combines the character of annuals and
perennials. Morphologically, it appears as a hybrid of
E. indica and one of the perennial species [10]. E.
kigeziensis is tetraploid taxon, a deviant with
chromosome number 2n = 38, which is probably of
allopolyploid origin. Hiremath and Salimath [11]
proposed E. indica and E. jaegri as donor of the one
genome to E. kigeziensis based on 2C nuclear DNA
amount and combination of two basic chromosome
number X = 9 and X = 10. Eleusine floccifolia is a diploid
(2n=18) species but its tetraploid (2n = 36) species has
been discovered [2]. Morphologically these two taxa are
indistinguishable and tetraploid species shows ‘gigas’
characters and cytogenetics of this species suggested
it to be autotetraploid [2].
 

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Info

Year: 2010
Volume: 70
Issue: 3
Article DOI: N/A
Print ISSN: 0019-5200
Online ISSN: 0975-6906

Authors

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S. S. Sheelavantmath info_circle

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