Chromosome morphometric analysis of Indian cultivars of Lens culinaris Medik. using EMA based Giemsa staining method

Abstract

The influence of biotic, abiotic and climatic changes on crop production is becoming increasingly evident. Gaps in demand and supply of lentils, one of the few protein-rich crops in India, are gradually increasing. Of seven estimated species of lentil, six are wild and the other, Lens culinaris, is the only species under cultivation, with a large number of cultivars. Chromosome analysis is beneficial to breeders and genome researchers in crop improvement programmes. However, a chromosomal database of this important crop is not available in India. The present paper has described a detailed chromosome analysis of 21 certified Indian cultivars of L. culinaris using enzymatic maceration and air drying (EMA) based Giemsa staining methods for the first time. Uniform chromosomal preparations have resulted in variation in average chromosome size (4.94–9.8 μm), total chromatin length (69.18–137.24 μm), and satellite bearing chromosome number (third, fourth and fifth) among the cultivars. Though our results revealed similar karyotypic formulae and symmetrical karyotype, a scatter diagram of intra-chromosomal asymmetry index (A1) versus inter-chromosomal asymmetry index (A2) groups them into five distinct clusters. Such information may be helpful for conservation of genetic diversity and for future lentil breeding programmes. © 2017 Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica, Università di Firenze.