Chlorophyll and carotenoids of the rin tomato mutant

Abstract

Fruit of the rin tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mutant were analyzed for chlorophyll and carotenoid composition. Thirty days after pollination, rin fruit contained less chlorophyll a and more chlorophyll b, causing a lower a:b ratio than fruit of the normal ripening line. Phytoene, phytofluene, β-carotene, γ-carotene, and lycopene were all present in normal fruit 40–45 days old. In contrast, the carotenoids found in rin fruit were composed mostly of phytoene, with reduced quantities of β- and γ-carotene and traces of phytofluene and lycopene. Fruits of rin contained only phytoene and β-carotene after 180 days. These changes in endogenous pigments are interpreted as pleiotropic effects of the rin gene on the ripening tomato fruit. Pigmentation differences in fruit of the reciprocal hybrids were detected.