Cytogenetic analysis of translocations in cotton

In order to create cotton translocation lines, 191 translocations were recovered as heterozygotes following combined treatment of seeds by colchicine and γ‐rays, irradiation of seeds by thermal neutrons and c‐irradiation of pollen. Cytogenetic analysis showed that chromosome translocations involving two chromosomes arose more often (180) than those involving three chromosomes (11). The heterozygous translocations were characterized by different formation and frequencies of the multivalents at metaphase I of meiosis. Only 104 translocations were characterized by a multivalent frequency of more than 0.25 per cell. Most of the translocations (156) exhibited a high meiotic index, but 11 were characterized by a decreasing meiotic index and by an increase in the percentage of tetrads with micronuclei. The pollen fertility of translocations differed significantly and varied from high fertility to pollen sterility. The high frequency of abortive pollen grains was typical for about one half of translocations studied. The translocations were made homozygous and as a result, 12 new reciprocal homozygous translocation lines were obtained in cotton.