Differential fluorescent banding patterns in three varieties of pea (Pisumsativum L.)

The karyotypes of three varieties of Pisum sativum viz. Local (BR-1), India n and Japanese (2n =14) were compared after differential staining with Orce in, CMA and DAPI. The Local variety possessed complex chromocenter type of interphase nuclei and interstitial type of prophase chromosomes. In contras t, the Indian and Japanese variety had diffuse type of interphase nuclei an d continuous type of prophase chromosomes. A number of fragments that look like B-chromosomes were observed in all these varieties. Satellite was obse rved only in the Indian variety in CMA and DAPI-staining. BR-1 possessed ei ght CMA-positive bands in eight chromosomes one in each. In the Indian vari ety, two CMA-positive bands found in the interphase, prophase and metaphase were the Nucleolus Organizer Regions (NOR). No CMA-band was found in the J apanese variety, It means that later variety was lack of GC-rich base seque nces. Presence of CMA-and DAPI-positive bands at the centromeric regions of the local variety indicated the co-existence of GC-and AT-rich sequences a t those regions. Thus the three varieties of P. sativum could be distinguis hed by differential fluorescent banding techniques.