PJB-2019-1011
Estimating genome size and ploidy of Acacia Species in Pakistan based on Stomata size and Flow Cytometry
Asif Javed Muhammad
Abstract
Natural hybridization is known to occur in acacia species and viable polyploids have been reported from wild. Acacia species and their hybrids have become a very important source for fuelwood and pulp production. However for commercial production acacia genotypes with superior traits such as disease resistance, low lignin and high biomass are required. Therefore it is important to understand the ploidy of species for future breeding programs. This study was conducted to determine the ploidy level of different acacia species found in Pakistan. Two methods were used for the determination of ploidy i.e. stomata size and genomic DNA contents. Results showed a positive correlation between the two methods used for ploidy determination. All genotypes belonging to different acacia species were diploids (2n = 26) and both stomata size and 2C-value for genomic DNA content were significantly different among all the species. The estimated 2C DNA values were first time reported for A. modesta (1.27 pg) and A. pendula (1.34pg). Both techniques were found to be effective for ploidy determination however flow cytometry is technically more demanding and expensive. It is therefore concluded that stomata size can successfully be used for ploidy determination in the future for the screening of artificial polyploids and hybrids in a breeding program.
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