| II. Exploration Results of the BMUK 1959
Some aspects regarding the collected materials of Triticum and Aegilops from the Eastern Mediterranean Countries. III.* K. YAMASHITA and M. TANAKA Biological Laboratory and Laboratory of Genetics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan 11. Section Vertebrata of Aegilops Among five species belonging to the section Vertebrata, Ae. crassa BOISS. (tetraploid and hexaploid, genome symbols being DDMcrMcr and DDD2D2McrMcr, respectively) and Ae. ventricosa TAUSCH (tetraploid, genome symbol being DDMvMv), were collected. Ae. ventricosa was collected from one habitat, 30 km SW of Alexandria, Egypt, where will be the eastern limit of the distribution of this species. Ae. crassa found in a habitat in Lebanon was thought to be a tetraploid species morphologically, and the one found in a habitat in Syria, was examined cytologically to be tetraploid, while two strains collected near the border between Syria and Jordan were hexaploid (Table 15). Ae. crassa has been known to occur through Palestina, Syria, Iraq. Afghanistan and Turkestan (EIG 1929). It was reported previously in WIS No. 5, pp. 11-12, that all the strains of Ae. crassa from Iran and Iraq are 4x, while 6x forms grow mixed together with 4x forms in Afghanistan, and that the strains from Turkestan are 6x. From these data, it can be said that 6x form originated in the northern stretch of the Hindukush Range in Afghanistan. However, 6x forms were collected also near the border between Syria and Jordan. According to EIG (1929), these 6x strains can be referred to as var. palaestina. But the genome constitution of this variety is most probably DDMcrMcrS1S1 (TANAKA, umpublished): hence, it should be recognized as a new species. It would be the same which CHENNAVEERAIAH (1960) established as a new species Ae. vavilovii based on his karyotype studies. 12. Aegilops tritistata Ae. triaristata WILLD. includes the tetraploid (CuCuMtMt) and hexaploid (CuCuMtMtMt2Mt2). Ae. triaristata was collected in various habitats in Turkey, Greece and Italy (Table 16). Especially in North-western Turkey and Greece this species occurred almost everywhere along the highways or on the hillsides. The specimens of this species from most parts of Turkey were 4x, except for one from a habitat in North-western Turkey. Those from Northern Greece were 4x, while those from Central and Southern Greece and Italy were 6x. According to the genome-analytical studies, it can be said that the 6x form of Ae. triaristata arose as an amphiploid of the hybrids between the 4x form of Ae. triaristata with CuCuMtMt and Ae. comosa Ae. heldreichii or Ae. uniaristata with MM-genomes. Ae. heldreichii was actually collected from the North-western Turkey. Based on the collection data, the place where 6x forms arose, is supposed to North-western Turkey. |
| * Contributions of the BMUK 1959, No. 4. |
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