Genetic and cytogenetic structure of wild lemon grass (Elionurus muticus ) populations

Abstract Elionurus muticus is a native aromatic grass from the Pampa biome that produces an essential oil that is rich in citral. Despite the importance of citral, few studies have examined this species. The aims of this work were to evaluate the genetic structure and to characterize cytogenetically natural populations collected from Brazil. Genetic characterization was performed using AFLP markers, and cytogenetics assessed the chromosome number, karyotype and meiosis. The studied populations had genetic variability, especially within populations, indicating the possibility of selecting plants with relevant characters. High variability also suggests the preferential occurrence of outcrossing in natural populations. Regular meiosis was observed in the cytogenetic analysis with chromosome number 2n=20. The karyotype of the species is presented for the first time, with the karyotype formula 3sm + 4a + 1saSAT.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Füller,Thanise Nogueira, Guerra¹,Divanilde, Wittmann,Maria Teresa Schifino, Tessele,Carolina, Barros,Ingrid Bergman Inchausti de, Neto,José Fernandes Barbosa
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Crop Breeding and Applied Biotechnology 2015
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-70332015000400272
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Elionurus muticus is a native aromatic grass from the Pampa biome that produces an essential oil that is rich in citral. Despite the importance of citral, few studies have examined this species. The aims of this work were to evaluate the genetic structure and to characterize cytogenetically natural populations collected from Brazil. Genetic characterization was performed using AFLP markers, and cytogenetics assessed the chromosome number, karyotype and meiosis. The studied populations had genetic variability, especially within populations, indicating the possibility of selecting plants with relevant characters. High variability also suggests the preferential occurrence of outcrossing in natural populations. Regular meiosis was observed in the cytogenetic analysis with chromosome number 2n=20. The karyotype of the species is presented for the first time, with the karyotype formula 3sm + 4a + 1saSAT.