CYTOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF SOME TRISOMICS OF RUSSIAN WILDRYE (PSATHYROSTACHYS JUNCEA)

Russian wildrye, Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski (2n = 2x = 14; NsNs), is an important forage grass and a potential source of germpla sm for cereal crop improvement. Because of genetic heterogeneity as a result of its self-incompatibility, it is difficult to identify trisom ics of this diploid species based on morphological characters alone. P utative trisomics (2n = 2x + 1 = 15), derived from open pollination of a triploid plant by pollen grains of diploid plants, were characteriz ed by Giemsa C-banding. Based on both karyotypic criteria and C-bandin g patterns, four of the seven possible primary trisomics, a double-del etion trisomic, and two tertiary trisomics were identified.