Abstract
The method of using conventional numerical parameters, such as length and arm ratio, is insufficient to distinguish the chromosomes of Atriplex rosea L. (2n=18) completely, as they are very small. Therefore a new image parameter, condensation pattern (CP), was defined and employed to obtain additional information for chromosome identification. The CP of a chromosome was represented by a profile line of the density distribution along the midrib of unilateral chromatid, and was measured semi-automatically by the CHromosome Image Analyzing System, CHIAS. It was shown that the CP is a valuable parameter for identification of the small chromosomes in plants.
