ANALYSES OF MEIOTIC METAPHASE IN HAPLOIDS AND HYBRIDS OF HAPLOID × DIPLOID FLAX (LINUM USITATISSIMUM)
Haploids (2n = x = 15) and the F1 progeny from haploid × diploid crosses of haploid-diploid twins in the flax cultivar Rocket 4 (Linum usitatissimum L.) were analyzed cytologically. In the pollen mother cells (PMC) of haploids, there was variation in the behavior of meiotic chromosomes. There was no chromosome pairing or secondary associations. At meta-anaphase I, the chromosomes either divided and separated to the poles 1) unequally, 2) equally, 3) irregularly, or 4) separated as clusters of undivided chromosomes. All types were present at different frequencies in each haploid. Haploid × diploid crosses produced diploid (2n = 2x = 30), aneuploid (2n = 2x = 31 to 33) and triploid (2n = 3x = 45) F1 progeny at a frequency of 58%, 20% and 22%, respectively. Diploids formed regular bivalents. In the PMCs of aneuploids, the extra chromosomes formed trivalents or remained unassociated as univalents. Chromosomes in the PMCs in triploids predominantly formed trivalents. The relevance of the meta-anaphase I pattern to the potential utilization of haploid flax is discussed.