Evidence for wheat-rye nucleolar competition (amphiplasty) in triticale by silver-staining procedure

Amphiplasty in hexaploid triticale, the artificial amphiploid of tetraploid wheat and diploid rye, is analyzed for the first time using a modified, highly reproducible, silver-staining procedure. A comparative analysis of metaphase somatic cells by phase contrast, C-banding and silver-staining of the hexaploid triticale cv. 'Cachirulo' and its parents, namely, the tetraploid durum wheat cv. 'Enano de Andujar' and the diploid rye cv. 'Petkus' has been made. Two silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) (the chromosome pair 1 R) are observed in all rye plants analyzed, whereas four Ag-NORs (chromosome pairs 1 B and 6 B) are found both in the tetraploid wheat parent and in the triticale. The rye Ag-NORs are absent in the triticale. Since the Agstaining reaction of NORs can be considered as an indication for genetic activity, the silver procedure can be used to visualize gene functionality at the rDNA sites with conventional light microscopy and, consequently, the modified Ag-staining method described can be very useful in analyzing the amphiplasty phenomenon in natural or artificial hybrid combinations and derivatives in the Triticum group and its relatives.