Comprehensive Estimation of Polyploidy Level in Carnation Cultivars by Flow Cytometry

We used flow cytometry to estimate the polyploidy level of 304 carnation cultivars preserved at the National Institute of Floricultural Science, and counted chromosomes in root tips to verify the actual level. The results validated the use of flow cytometry to estimate polyploidy in carnation cultivars. It estimated that 297 carnation cultivars were diploid. Three cultivars ('Wiko', 'Scarlet Bell', and 'Spiral Vivid Red') were triploid and 'Saleya' was tetraploid. Another 3 cultivars ('Pink Roland', 'Youkihi', and 'Sonnet Sailor') might be tetraploid. We measured the stomatal length of 12 cultivars to test whether it is a convenient way to distinguish polyploidy. We could distinguish between diploid and polyploid, but not between triploid and tetraploid.