Nucleolar organizer function in developing potato calli.

The number of transcriptionally active nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) of one monohaploid, one dihaploid and two tetraploids of Solanum tuberosum and one diploid S. phureja was established by the silver staining of metaphases in root meristems and in in vitro-cultured leaf explants. The maximum number of active NORs per cell was one per haploid set of chromosomes. One or more NORs could be inactive in cells of the tetraploid meristems and in non-polyploidized and polyploidized cells of the dihaploid and tetraploid explants. Inactivation was determined by genotype and tissue and could remain constant during in vitro culture.