Influence of Telomeric Heterochromatin Loss on Growth and Development of the Early Embryo and Endosperm in Triticale

The influence of telomeric heterochromatin on early embryo and endosperm development and the production of aberrant endosperm nuclei were investigated using eight triticale (×Tritocmecale Wittmack) lines homozygous for the presence or absence ol blocks of telomeric heterochromatin from rye chromosome arms 1RL, 2RS, (SRS, and 7RL. The loss of heterochromatin from two chromosomes (6R, 7R) produced a significantly lower percentage of aberrant endosperm nuclei than did the loss from one chromosome (6R). Deletion of a third block had a significant additional effect in only one of four lines. The differences between lines for rales of embryo and endosperm development were significant even within a karyotypc, presumably because of genetic variation. The onset of cellularization of the endosperm tended to obscure the detection of aberrancy, and since it evidently occurred at different times in different lines, may have been largely responsible for the apparent reduction in aberrant nuclei in lines with less heterochromatin.