Genome size variation among natural populations of Brachypodium distachyon and B. hybridum collected from different regions of Turkey

Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P.Beauv. is a model grass species that is useful for studying temperate cereal, forage, and energy crops. In this study we aimed to determine the genome size and species identity in the collections of the B. distachyon complex that included samples from 56 different locations in Turkey, applying chromosome counting and nuclear genome size evaluation by flow cytometry method (FCM). Moreover, the study examined whether diverse geographical conditions at the collecting sites influence the genome size. Chromosomal analysis revealed that the number of B. distachyon (x = 5, 2n = 10) genotypes was 48 and the number of B. hybridum (x = 5 + 10, 2n = 30) ones was 11.