B chromosome in a rice aneuploid variation

An awned rice plant was discovered among the progeny of the triploid Zhongxian 3037. Cytological investigation showed that this awned plant was a variation with extra chromosomes. Based on the properties of the extra chromosomes during both meiosis and mitosis – e.g., short stature, darkly staining, instability in chromosome number, and lack of synapsis with A chromosomes – they could be considered to be B chromosomes in rice. The B chromosome(s) in both asexual and sexual progenies exhibited a unique segregation that is different from that of telotrisomics and other aneuploids. Moreover molecular marker analysis detected no dosage effects between the B-chromosome plant and the normal diploid of Zhongxian 3037, indicating that the B chromosomes might not be directly derived from any A-chromosome fragments in rice. Received: 8 June 1999 / Accepted: 30 December 1999