Cytological Investigations of Certain Species of Vicia L.

Authors: Nükhet AKPINAR, Rahmi BİLALOĞLU

Abstract: In this study, the nuclear DNA contents, nuclear areas and the chromosome numbers of certain Vicia L. species and experimental Iines of V. sativa L. were investigated. A significant variation in the DNA content of the Vicia species was established. The 2C nuclear DNA amounts in diploid species of the genus Vicia (x = 5, 6 and 7) ranged from approximately 3 to 19 picograms. It was observed that Robertsonian fusions caused a decrease in chromosome numbers in V. hybrida and V. canescens. The variability in the amount of DNA content was not related to chromosome numbers. However, there was a very high positive Iinear relationship between nuclear DNA contents, nuclear areas and the chromosome Iengths of specles. No variation was established with regard to DNA content and nuclear area among different populations of a given species coilected from different Iocations.

Keywords: Vicia, Nuclear DNA content, Nuclear area, Karyotype, Microspectrophotometry