Condensation pattern as a new image parameter for identification of small chromosomes in plants.

The method of using conventional numerical parameters, such as length and arm ratio, is insufficient to distinguish the chromosomes of Atriplex rosea L. (2n=18) completely, as they are very small. Therefore a new image parameter, condensation pattern (CP), was defined and employed to obtain additional information for chromosome identification. The CP of a chromosome was represented by a profile line of the density distribution along the midrib of unilateral chromatid, and was measured semi-automatically by the CHromosome Image Analyzing System, CHIAS. It was shown that the CP is a valuable parameter for identification of the small chromosomes in plants.