Meiotic behaviour of induced autotetraploids in Triticum L.
Colchicine-induced autotetraploids of Triticum speltoides, T. longissimum, T. sharonense, T. bicorne, T. uniaristatum, T. monococcum, and T. tauschii were all morphologically similar to but larger than their diploid forms. Seed set was lower than in the diploids except for the autotetraploid T. speltoides. Meiotic analysis showed fewer quadrivalents and more bivalents than would be expected in all of these autotetraploids. Arm-pair switch, indicated by complex trivalents and quadrivalents, was found and involved 0.1% of total chromosomes in T. umbellulatum, 0.5% in T. longissimum, 0.7% in both T. sharonense and T. tauschii, 6.3% in T. bicorne, and 15.3% in T. uniaristatum.Key words: meiosis, chromosome association, arm-pair switch, chromosome pairing, bivalentization.