Spontaneous Chromosome Breakage and Inversion Heterozygosity in a Clone of Tulbaghia violacea Harv

Abstract

Karyotype and meiotic studies have been made on an Indian clone of Tulbaghia violacea Harv. The chromosome number was observed to be 2n=12. The karyotype is symmetrical with 6 metacentric and 6 submetacentric chromosomes. Two pairs of secondarily constricted chromosomes could be located in Indian clones. Spontaneous chromosome breakage and inversion heterozygosity indicate that evolution in the species is probably by chromosomal repatterning.