Fluorescent Banding in Three Varieties of Lens culinaris Medik (Fabaceae)

Abstract

Differential staining with orcein, CMA and DAPI were used to characterize the karyotypes of three cultivated varieties of Lens culinaris Medik viz. Barimasur-2, Barimasur-3, Barimasur-4. In Barimasur-2 and Barimasur-3, 2n=14 chromosomes were found. Whereas in Barimasur-4, 2n=15 chromosomes were observed indicates the variety as trisomic. Two CMA-positive bands were found at the pericentric region of 2 metacentric chromosomes in Barimasur-2. Barimasur-3 had 2 terminal CMA-positive bands in 2 different sub-metacentric chromosomes. The size of CMA-bands, total CMA-banded area, percentage of CMA-positive banded region of Barimasur-2 and Barimasur-3 were almost similar. The total chromatin length of Barimasur-3 (97.83 μm) was found to be less than that of Barimasur-2 (107.05 μm). These data revealed that deletion near the banded region of metacentric chromosomes of Barimasur-2 might result the formation of terminal CMA-banded sub-metacentric chromosomes in Barimasur-3. No CMA-positive band was found in Barimasur-4. Six DAPI-positive bands were found in Barimasur-2. Barimasur-3 and Barimasur-4 had 11 and 13 DAPI-positive bands, respectively. Heteromorphicity in respect of DAPI bands between the homologue members was found in several chromosome pairs in these three varieties. With the help of DAPI banding it was possible to identify the pair-II of Barimasur-2 and pair-I in Barimasur-4. Therefore, different CMA and DAPI banding patterns were observed in 3 varieties.