Inheritance and Linkage Analysis of a Blotchy Root Pigment Phenotype in Red Beet

Abstract

The primary pigments in red beet are the betalains, which include the red-violet betacyanins and the yellow betaxanthins. The recent adoption of betalain pigments from red beet as an alternative to synthetic food dyes has heightened interest in genetic modification of pigment production. Dominant alleles at two tightly-linked loci (R and Y) condition production of betalain pigment in the beet plant; however, several alleles at the R locus influence pigment amount and distribution. A mutant phenotype, characterized by irregular sectors of blotchy red and white root color, arose spontaneously in the beet breeding nursery. The blotchy mutant plant was used in crosses with non-blotchy inbred lines to characterize its inheritance. Chisquare goodness-of-fi t tests of segregation data in backcross and F2 generations for several genetic backgrounds did not deviate from the hypothesis that a single recessive gene controls the blotchy phenotype. Linkage analysis was conducted to determine if the blotchy phenotype was conditioned by a new locus or an allele at a previously described locus. Our data indicate the bl gene resides at a newly described locus linked to R and Y. Maximum likelihood estimation revealed a linkage distance between R and Y of 8.95 ± 0.49 cM. The linkage distance between R and BL was calculated at 13.99 ± 1.18 cM, and the overall linkage between Y and BL was determined to be 28.8 ± 4.2 cM. Our data suggest the RYBL genomic region plays a critical role in the genetic control of betalain biosynthesis.