Meiotic behavior and chromosome number of Urochloa adspersa (Trin.) R. D. Webster from the Brazilian Chaco.

This is the first report of meiotic division in Uro-chloa adspersa (Trin.) collected from the Brazilian Chaco. Meiotic analyses were performed on three specimens of U. adspersa named G10, G15, and G16. Inflorescences were collected and fixed in a mixture of ethanol and acetic acid (3:1, v/v) for 24 h and then stored in 70% alcohol. Diakinesis revealed different chromosome numbers and ploidy levels. All three plants were polyploids: G10 and G15 exhibited 2n = 6x = 54 chromosomes (arranged in 27 bivalents), while G16 exhibited 2n = 4x = 36 chromosomes (18 bivalents). Meiotic behavior was mainly normal in the hexaploid G15 and the tetraploid G16 (5.3 and 6.2% of the cells were abnormal, respective-ly), revealing only a few meiotic abnormalities that are common to polyploids, i.e., those related to irregular chromosome segregation. G10 exhibited other meiotic abnormalities during meiosis II, such as chromosome stickiness, irregular spindle orientation, and irregular cytokinesis, which led to the formation of a few triads, resulting in 16.9% of the cells being abnormal. The origin of these abnormalities is discussed, and we suggest that the genes that control meiotic steps may be present in the Urochloa gene pool.