EFFECT OF SELENIUM ON RECOMBINATION IN BARLEY

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Abstract
Barley seedlings trihybrid for the linked genes f, e and tr were soil-treated with solutions of sodium selenate to study the effects of the treatment on crossing over. Their microsporocytes were examined cytologically and F2 segregations were analyzed as 2-point data. The genetic data indicates a significant effect on the rate of crossing over, consisting of a progressive decline with increasing concentration. The cytological observations suggest a relaxation of meiotic chromatin as an effect of selenium. The possible significance to crossing-over of the substitution of selenium for sulfur in enzymatic or structural chromosomal proteins is discussed.