A new species of Avena from Sicily, possibly the tetraploid progenitor of hexaploid oats

A new species of oat, Avena insularis, is described. It was collected in southern Sicily where four populations were found on uncultivated clay soil. Morphologically, it is similar to the hexaploid wild oat A. sterilis, but can be distinguished by its smaller and more condensed panicle, less V-shaped dispersal unit and oblong disarticulation scar. Hybrids between A. insularis and the hexaploid cultivated oat A. sativa were obtained only when the latter was the seed parent in crosses. Chromosome pairing of the hybrids at meiosis was irregular with univalents and multivalents, but the mean number of chiasmata per cell was close to that of A. insularis. Furthermore, the hybrids were partially self-fertile. Thus, the newly discovered species seems closer to the hexaploid oats than any other tetraploid species, and is probably the tetraploid progenitor of hexaploid oats. Hybrids between A. insularis and A. magna were sterile because of irregular chromosome pairing at meiosis.