Wheat univalent orientation at anaphase I in wheat-rye derivatives

The anaphase I behaviour of wheat univalents in plants with the chromosome constitution (0–7)A(0–7)BRR was analyzed using the C-banding technique, which allows to distinguish between wheat and rye chromosomes. The equational division frequencies of univalents observed in the six plants analyzed show a large variation (0.21–0.83). Within each plant syntelic univalents segregate to the poles at random. The frequency distribution of amphitelically dividing univalents does not conform to a random distribution. The lack of fit is attributed to environmental factors which differentially affect the probability of equational division for the univalents in different PMCs. Two other possible causes of the lack of adjustment, namely, each wheat univalent has a different probability of equational division, and wheat univalents do not move independently to the equator to divide equationally, are also discussed. The latter seems improbable in view of the independent behaviour of univalents dividing reductionally. A correlation observed between the behaviour of chromosome 6B and the rest of wheat univalents is attributed to variation between cells due to external causes.