Interspecific F
1 hybrids of
Nicotiana debneyi Domin (2n=48) and
N. umbratica Burbidge (2n=46), both belonging to the section Suaveolentes, showed a high degree of meiotic chromosome pairing. Two of the five F
2 plants obtained exhibited chromosome mosaicism. The first colchiploid generation (C
1) had the expected chromosome number of 2n=94 while C
2 showed 2n=88, a loss of three pairs of chromosomes. This same chromosome number continued in further colchiploid generations, followed up to C
5, except for a few plants in C
3 which showed chromosome mosaicism. The F
1 phenotype was stable through C
1 to C
5 and fertility was normal in colchiploids through all generations in spite of the loss of three pairs of chromosomes and chromosome mosaicism. This stability and fertility apparently reflect the tolerance of the genomes to the genetic adjustment of chromosome complements which is believed to be associated with the originally polyploid nature of the parental species and the chromosome doubling brought about in the amphidiploids.
Key words Cytogenetics - Interspecific hybrid -
Nicotiana debneyi
-
N. umbratica
- Colchiploids
Communicated by R. Hagemann