Analysis of induced homoeologous pairing in hybrids between 6x triticale ph1 mutant and Triticum aestivum L.

The meiotic behaviour of three hexaploid triticale × Triticum aestivum L. hybrids having different doses of ph1 mutant alleles was investigated using C-band staining of pollen mother cells at first metaphase. D-genome chromosomes that were clearly distinguished by their small size and unbanded response to Giemsa staining were increasingly promoted to pair with the homoeologous chromosomes of the A and B genomes in the absence of Ph1 genes. However, the wheat–rye associations were not enhanced when one or two ph1 alleles were present. The distribution of meiotic configurations was significantly different for each chromosome in the ph1/ph1 hybrid. Thus, 1B did not form multivalents in this hybrid, and the remaining identified chromosomes differed significantly in the level of involvement in tri-, quadri-, or quinque-valents. The hybrids should be of value for hexaploid and wheat breeding programs.Key words: Triticale, Triticum aestivum, C-banding, ph1 mutants.