CHROMOSOMIC STUDY OF 13 LENTIL COLLECTIONS (Lens esculenta Moench)

Abstract

A comparative study was performed on karyotypes of 13 cultivated varieties of lentils ( Lens esculenta Moench) from Asia and cultivated in México. Root tips were fixed and stained by the Feulgen standard method. Meiotic studies on chromosomes were done in anthers in fixed Farmer and stained in acetocarmine. Pollen fertility was estimated by pollen stainability in glycerol-acetic carmine. In all varieties diploid chromosome number was 2n = 2X = 14. The total length per genome ranged, among collections, from 52.14 to 90.70 μm, in Iran 32 and India 90, respectively. The lentil karyotype is a bimodal one: the four largest chromosomes are metacentrics; the remaining three chromosomes, submetacentrics. Chromosome four presents a secondary constriction on the long arm. Exceptionally, the long arm of chromosome three in the variety Criollo de Comanja shows a secundary constriction, which was the only difference among the 13 karyotypes. Meiosis I, in all 13 varieties, was found normal, with 7_II and a segregation 7:7 at AI.
The male fertility estimated by pollen stainability was about 90% in 12 varieties, and 48% in var. Criolla de Comanja.