Abstract
Cytogenetic characteristics of 11 olive cultivars were studied considering their chromosome pairing and segregation. The cultivars studied possessed 2n=4x=46 chromosome number and formed only bivalents in metaphase of meiosis-I. The cultivars differed significantly in their chiasma frequency and distribution as well as chromosome pairing indicating partly their genetic distinctness. Meiotic abnormalities including laggard chromosomes and chromosome stickiness occurred in the cultivars studied. B-chromosomes, cytomixis and unreduced pollen grains were observed in some of the cultivars. Clustering and ordination of the olive cultivars based on cytogenetic characteristics showed distinctness of these cultivars. B-chromosomes and unreduced pollen grain formation are new in olive cytogenetics.
