Asynapsis in a Tetraploid Forage sorghum

Abstract

Asynapsis was found to be associated with a recessive dwarf character in progeny derived from hybrids between Sorghum almum Parodi and perennial sweet Sudan grass. The average number of univalents at first metaphase varied from 1.5 to 38.4 per cell in the 10 plants examined. Lagging univalents usually divided or misdivided at first anaphase or telophase. In plants with a very small average number of bivalents at first metaphase, the second division of meiosis rarely occurred and the pollen grains were formed from the products of the first division. All pollen grains degenerated and the asynaptic plants were sterile.