Question

Role of polyploidy in crop improvement biology discussion

Answer 1

An organism having more than two sets of homologous chromosomes is known as polyploid and the phenomenon polyploidy. It was discovered by Lutz. It is rarely found in animals but is of general occurrence in plants. A survey of the chromosome numbers of the species in a family shows that these species generally fall in to polyploid series e.g., 2n, 3n, 4n, 5n, 6n etc.

The species are grouped together under a taxonomic head due to certain morphological similarities and relationships. They may or may not be crossable at all, with one another. However, the chromosome numbers of the species show a general relationship i.e., they form a multiple of common basic number like 7 in Triticum, Hordeum, Pisum, Lathyrus.