Chromosome elimination in maize induced by supernumerary B chromosomes.

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Abstract
Evidence is presented that knobbed arms of members of the normal chromosomal complement (the A set) are eliminated when supernumerary B chromosomes are present. A greater rate of loss of knobbed chromosomes occurs in plants with higher numbers of B''s than in plants with lower numbers. Loss of the knobbed arms takes place at the second microspore division, thus producing dissimilar sperm cells. The behavior of knobless A chromosomes is apparently unaffected by the number of B chromosomes present in our experimental material. No or little loss of knobbed chromosomes was found in female parents with B chromosomes. The ability of B chromosomes to induce loss of knobbed A chromosomes makes understandable the negative correlation found in races of maize between numbers of knobs on the A chromosomes and the number of B chromosomes.

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