Homoeologous chromosome pairing at metaphase I of meiosis in <i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L. × <i>H. bulbosum</i> L. triploid hybrids (HvHbHb)
Authors: Pendinen G. I. , Scholz M. 
Published: December 2020

Background.One of the ways to use the genetic potential of bulbous barley, which is characterized by a number of valuable traits, is interspecific hybridization. In crosses ofH. vulgare(2x) ×H. bulbosum(2x) andH. vulgare(4x) ×H. bulbosum(4x) with a genome ratio of 1Hv: 1Hb in a hybrid embryo, elimination of bulbous barley chromosomes is observed in many cases, and the intensity of the process and the result of the crossing depend on the genotypes of the parental forms. This limits the possibility of including a significant variety of parental forms in crosses. Сrossing of diploid forms ofH. vulgarewith tetraploid accessions ofH. bulbosum(4x) results in the formation of triploid hybrids (HvHbHb) with stable chromosomal composition in pollen mother cells (PMCs) at metaphase I (MI) of meiosis. These triploid hybrids can serve as a basis for obtaining series of introgressive lines of cultivated barley. One of the tasks of this type of work is to estimate the involvement of various chromosomes and their arms in homoeologous associations. The aim of this work was to study the possibility of homoeologous pairing of chromosomes of parental species at MI of meiosis in triploid hybrids using GISH and FISH with chromosome-specific markers, as well as to register the participation of individual arms of the cultivated barley chromosomes in homoeologous associations with the chromosomes of bulbous barley in triploid hybrids (HvHbHb).

Materials and methods.Seven triploid hybrids ofH. vulgare×H.bulbosum(HvHbHb) obtained in four combinations of crosses with the participation of three diploid cultivars of cultivated barley and two tetraploid accession of bulbous barley were used in this study. The features of homoeologous pairing of chromosomes at MI were studied using the method of fluorescentin situhybridization (GISH and FISH) with chromosome-specific markers.

ResultsAll the studied hybrid plants are characterized by a stable chromosomal composition in PMCs at the MI stage of meiosis. Meiotic configurations formed by homoeologous chromosomes of the parental species, ranging from 0.87 to 1.40 on average per cell, were identified in all the studied plants. Among them, vbb trivalents prevailed. Analysis of chromosome pairing at MI in triploid hybrids revealed the participation of all chromosome arms ofH. vulgarein homoeologous Hv-Hb associations, except for the short arm of chromosome 1H. In all the studied triploid hybrids, there is a tendency for a higher frequency of involvement of the long arms of chromosomes in the formation of homoeologous associations; this feature is most clearly manifested in case of chromosome 5H.

ConclusionsIntergenomic associations with the participation of all arms ofH. vulgarechromosomes, except for the short arm of chromosome 1H, were revealed at MI inH. vulgare×H. bulbosumtriploid hybrids (HvHbHb). Chromosome 5H, as well as any other cultivated barley chromosome, is characterized by a higher involvement of its long arm in homoeologous associations Hv-Hb, as compared to the short arm.