Elymus canadensis×Secale cereale Amphiploids. II. Chromosome Constitutions and Pairing of Open-Pollinated Progeny

Eleven C₂ and two C₃ 0pen-pollinated plains from Elymus canadensis × Secale cereale amphiploid plants (2n = 6x = 42, SSHHRR) were examined for chromosome constitution and meiosis. Chromosome numbers of the progeny varied: 2n = 26, 27, 28, 36, 37, 39, 40, and 41. Elimination of portions of genome constituents were made at random and were irregular in all o the progeny. Monosomic (2n = 41) and nullisomic (2n = 40) plants lost one to two E. canadensis or S. cereale chromosomes and showed average of 17 to 18 bivalents and 4 to 5 univalents per cell at Ml. The C₂, aneuploid plants with 36 to 41 chromosomes seemed to result from selfing or intercrossing among; the C₁ amphiploid plants, while the plants of 2n = 26 to 2S (6–9 II + 10–141) might originate from outcrosses of the C_l amphiploid to S. cereale. Bivalent pairing might be preferentially intragenomic (S-S, H-H, or R-R). The occurrence of multivalents indicates a low potential of both intragenomic and intragenomic pairing; Pollen of the lour plants showed poor stainability (1 to 13 %) and no seed set in any of the progeny.