Abstract
Inheritance of purple, gold, and variegated foliage types, weeping architecture, and double flower was explored in F1, F2, and backcross families resulting from controlled hybridization of eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.). Potential allelic relationships were explored when possible. Inheritance analysis in families derived from controlled hybridization of ‘Covey’ (green leaf) and ‘Forest Pansy’ (purple leaf) suggest that purple leaf color and weeping architecture are both controlled by single recessive genes, for which the symbols pl1 and wp1 are proposed, respectively. Inheritance of gold leaf was explored in families of ‘Covey’ (green leaf) × ‘Hearts of Gold’ (gold leaf). Interpretation of inheritance of gold leaf in these families was confounded by the recovery of a leaf color phenotype in the F2 family unlike either parent. However, data suggested the action of a single locus controlling gold leaf color in ‘Hearts of Gold’, and that instability of gold leaf expression may be based on transposable element activity. Segregation of gold leaf in the F2 families of ‘Texas White’ [green leaf (C. canadensis var. texensis)] × ‘JN2’ [gold leaf (The Rising Sun)] did not fit a Mendelian ratio. Analysis of progeny of ‘Silver Cloud’ and ‘Floating Clouds’ (both showing white/green leaf variegation) with non-variegated cultivars demonstrated that variegation in ‘Silver Cloud’ is controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene, while variegation in ‘Floating Clouds’ is controlled by cytoplasmic factors. The symbol var1 is proposed for the gene controlling variegation in ‘Silver Cloud’. Double flower in progeny derived from ‘Flame’ (double flower) suggested that double flower is dominant to single flower, and that ‘Flame’ is heterozygous at the double-flower locus, for which the symbol Df1 is proposed. Allelism studies showed that the gene controlling purple leaf in ‘Forest Pansy’ is allelic to the purple leaf gene in ‘Greswan’ and that the gene controlling weeping phenotype in ‘Traveller’ (C. canadensis var. texensis) is non-allelic to the weeping gene found in ‘Covey’. Allelism of the gold leaf trait in ‘Hearts of Gold’ and ‘JN2’ was investigated, but no clear conclusions regarding allelism could be made due to recovery of leaf color phenotypes unlike either parent.
Highlights
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.) is a small landscape tree that exhibits considerable morphological diversity, including variation in plant architecture, plant size, and flower and leaf colors
Preliminary studies in our program suggested that weeping growth habit and purple leaf color were each controlled by single recessive genes
Characterization of the weeping phenotype in F2 progeny proved to be more difficult than the purple leaf phenotype in early stages of development
Summary
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.) is a small landscape tree that exhibits considerable morphological diversity, including variation in plant architecture, plant size, and flower and leaf colors. Specific cultivars and botanical varieties found in eastern redbud possess a variety of phenotypic characteristics whose inheritance can be studied and documented through strictly controlled breeding studies.. Determination of inheritance for these traits can help plant breeders better understand the genetic mechanisms that lead to specific phenotypes and allow greater control while manipulating these characteristics in a breeding program. Despite the relatively high number of observable characteristics, no named genes yet exist for any phenotypic variants found in eastern redbud. Little is known about modes of inheritance for these desirable traits, or allelic relationships between similar phenotypic variants that have arisen independently in different lineages. Tests for allelism are valuable tools that allow plant breeders to determine if the genes responsible for certain traits are found at the same genetic locus of two or more accessions possessing similar phenotypes. By identifying particular genes as allelic, breeders can better predict how desirable traits will be expressed in future hybridizations
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