OBSERVATIONS ON THE CYTOLOGY AND SEED‐PROTEINS OF VARIOUS AFRICAN SPECIES OF CROTALARIA L. (LEGUMINOSAE)

Abstract

SUMMARY Mitotic metaphase plates of fifty‐seven species of Crotalaria have been studied to determine the chromosome number and compare the size and shape of the chromosomes. The predominance of 2n= 16 is confirmed, but 2n= 14 is general in Section Incanae subsection Incanae and the first instance, in the Old World, of 2n= 32 is reported for C. massaiensis. The shorter and thinner types of chromosome seem most common in the apparently more derived groups of the genus, when a recent classification is adopted. Globulins extracted from thirty‐six species (twenty‐four also examined cytologically) and subjected to disc electrophoresis show four recognizable protein‐band patterns. The two major types of pattern show reasonable correlation with the generic subdivisions and a comparable distribution to the major types of chromosome form. Evidence from both lines of investigation suggests that subsections of Incanae should perhaps be raised to sectional rank.

Cytogenetics of Crotalaria. II. Male meiosis in 8 species of Crotalaria.

“…The polyploidy has been reported in only 7 species so far (Boulter et al 1970, Bhaumik 1975, Turner and Irwin 1961, Bir and Kumari 1977, Patil 1970, Turner 1956). C. humifusa, C. stipularia, C. medicaginea, C. nitens, C. pumila, C. mauensis are all tetraploids (2n=32), based on the basic number 8.…”

“…The lowest number (n=7) is found in C. incana (Magoon et al 1963, Patil andChennaveeraiah 1975), while the highest number (n=21) is found in C. ferruginea (Bhaumik 1975). The meiotic data and the previous data on mitotic complement (see Raina and Verma 1979) clearly shows that the maximum number of taxa possess n=8, 2n=16, followed by n=7, 2n=14 in only 3 species of Section Incanae subsection Incanae (Boulter et al 1970). Other numbers such as n=16, 21 are built on these numbers.…”

Pachytene karyotypes in the genus Crotalaria L. (Leguminosae).

“…Cytological studies in the genus were conducted in the past by Atchison (1950), Magoon et al (1963), Datta andBiswas (1962, 1963), Datta and Ghoshal (1969), Boulter et al (1970), Chennaveeraiah and Patil (1973) and Gupta andGupta (1977a, 1977b). About 80 species have so far been cytologically examined and it is known that the chromosome number is fairly stable with 2n=16 in most of the species.…”

“…Tetraploid chromosome number of 2n=32 is also known in C. massaiensis (Boulter et al 1970). Since these cytological studies in the genus Crotalaria were not very rewarding, distribution of globulins in 36 species of Crotalaria was examined by Boulter et al (1970). Similarly Gupta (1976) estimated nuclear DNA content, nuclear area and nuclear dry mass in 13 species of the genus.…”

“…The only exception is subsection Incanae of section Incanae, where 2n=14 is the predominant chromosome number. Tetraploid chromosome number of 2n=32 is also known in C. massaiensis (Boulter et al 1970). Since these cytological studies in the genus Crotalaria were not very rewarding, distribution of globulins in 36 species of Crotalaria was examined by Boulter et al (1970).…”