A RING CHROMOSOME IN AN F1 HYBRID BETWEEN WHEAT AND AGROPYRON
A plant having 41 normal rod-shaped chromosomes and a ring chromosome was found among hexaploid.F1 hybrids from a wheat–Agropyron cross. Cytological investigations were carried out to determine the mitotic behavior of this ring chromosome.The investigations revealed that most of the possible products of the breakage–fusion–bridge cycle known to occur in a ring chromosome were present in root tip cells. The fact that a rod-shaped chromosome is not derived from a ring chromosome in the cycle was confirmed, because no metaphase cells examined had 42 or more rod-shaped chromosomes.About 80% of the ring chromosomes were eliminated from the root tips of the seedling after 26 days. The size of the ring chromosome did not appear to influence the rate of elimination. The polyploid nature of the plant may account for the rapid, non-differential elimination of this chromosome.