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Nuclear genome size and chromosome analysis in Chenopodium quinoa and C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae

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Abstract

Cytogenetic characterization by karyotyping and determination of DNA content by flow cytometry of seven cultivated varieties of Chenopodium was performed. Chenopodium quinoa cultivar Barandales and C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae cultigens Huauzontle, Quelite and Chia roja showed 2n = 4x = 36, x = 9. Statistically insignificant genome size differences for studied varieties ranged from 2.96 pg/2C (1 Cx = 724 Mbp) in C. quinoa to 3.04 pg/2C (1 Cx = 743 Mbp) in Huauzontle. Karyotype analyses revealed the presence of nine groups of four metacentric chromosomes, including two pairs of chromosomes with satellites. The first pair of satellites was located on the largest pair of chromosomes and the second on a different pair of chromosomes in all accessions analyzed. Variation among varieties was evident in chromosome size, genome length (GL) and the position of satellites. Chia roja exhibited greatest GL (58.82 μm) and biggest chromosomes (2.04 μm). Huauzontle showed the smallest GL (45.02 μm) and shortest chromosomes (1.60 μm). Comparison of GL in studied taxa was statistically significant and allowed to define three groups according to the use given to these plants. These data indicate that they are small, very stable genomes in terms of DNA content, and they support the allotetraploid origin(s) of C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae and C. quinoa.

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Acknowledgements

The project was partially supported by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Research Contract 14035 RO, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) project number 33285B and Sistema Nacional de Recursos Fitogenéticos para la Agricultura y Alimentación (SINAREFI) 084. We thank Ingrid Brunner for maintenance of plant material, A. Laguna Cerda for his assistance in statistical analysis and E. Jellen for his comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biología, Jardín Botánico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, DF, 04510, Mexico

    Guadalupe Palomino & Laura Trejo Hernández

  2. Departamento de Biología, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Carretera México Toluca, S/N, La Marquesa, Ocoyoacac, Mexico, C.P. 52750, Mexico

    Eulogio de la Cruz Torres

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  1. Guadalupe Palomino
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  2. Laura Trejo Hernández
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  3. Eulogio de la Cruz Torres
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Correspondence to Guadalupe Palomino.

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Palomino, G., Hernández, L.T. & de la Cruz Torres, E. Nuclear genome size and chromosome analysis in Chenopodium quinoa and C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae . Euphytica 164, 221–230 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-008-9711-8

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