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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #58804
Title: CHROMOSOME PAIRING AS A TOOL IN GENOME ANALYSIS: MERITS AND LIMITATIONS.

Author
item Jauhar, Prem
item Joppa, Leonard

Submitted to: Methods of Genome Analysis in Plants: Their Merits and Pitfalls
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Several of the crop plants have multiple sets of chromosomes, and they originated from progenitors each with one chromosome set. Chromosome pairing in interspecific hybrids between a crop plant with multiple chromosome sets and its presumed progenitor can help determine relationships of the two species. This information helps to identify the donor of the different chromosome sets of a species. Such analysis is helpful in formulating strategies for transferring genes across species. The merits and limitations of chromosome pairing in explaining species relationships are discussed in this article.

Technical Abstract: Knowledge of genome relationships between and within plant species is very useful to cytogeneticists, plant breeders, taxonomists, evolutionists, molecular biologists, and biotechnologists. Genome analysis helps in understanding the cytogenetic architecture of polyploid species and in elucidating phylogenetic relationships among various plant taxa. Most importantly, genome analysis provides useful information on chromosome pairing relationships and hence on transferring desirable traits across species. Traditionally, the principal method of assessing genomic affinities among species has been the study of chromosome pairing in their hybrids. The rationale of genome analysis is that the chromosomes which pair are closely related, and those which don't are not related. Thus, genome analysis is the inference of relationships among chromosome sets on the basis of their pairing. This article discusses the merits and limitations of chromosome pairing in revealing genomic affinities.