Differential Giemsa staining in plants

Various modifications of reported banding techniques were performed using several cultivars of the genus Tulipa. Banding was obtained with Giemsa using a modified BSG technique and is reported for three cultivars. The chromosome banding noted in all cultivars was confined to terminal and interstitial regions; no banding was observed at the centromere. Complete banding patterns were established for two of the cultivars examined. The amount of banding per total chromosome complement of these cultivars was approximately 40% and 28%. The results demonstrated the existence of a wide range in the amount of constitutive heterochromatin as measured by the amount of banding between cultivars of similar and different species origins. The banding obtained is discussed with respect to the nature of the heterochromatin exhibited.