Inheritance of seed coat color in sesame

Hernán Laurentin,Tonis Benítez

doi:10.1590/s0100-204x2014000400007

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the inheritance mode of seed coat color in sesame. Two crosses and their reciprocals were performed: UCLA37 x UCV3 and UCLA90 x UCV3, of which UCLA37 and UCLA90 are white seed, and UCV3 is brown seed. Results of reciprocal crosses within each cross were identical: F1 seeds had the same phenotype as the maternal parent, and F2 resulted in the phenotype brown color. These results are consistent only with the model in which the maternal effect is the responsible for this trait. This model was validated by recording the seed coat color of 100 F2 plants (F3 seeds) from each cross with its reciprocal, in which the 3:1 expected ratio for plants producing brown and white seeds was tested with the chi-square test. Sesame seed color is determined by the maternal genotype. Proposed names for the alleles participating in sesame seed coat color are: Sc1, for brown color; and Sc2, for white color; Sc1 is dominant over Sc2.

Highlights

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important cultivated species in tropical areas
Four F1 populations were obtained: the first one from UCLA37 as the female parent crossed to UCV3 as the male parent; the second one by the reciprocal cross of UCLA37 as the male parent to UCV3 as the female parent; the third one using UCLA90 as the female parent crossed to UCV3 as the male parent; and the fourth one by the reciprocal cross of UCLA90 as the male parent to UCV3 as the female parent
Crosses ♀UCLA37 x ♂UCV3 and ♀UCLA90 x ♂UCV3 resulted in the phenotype white seed coat; crosses ♀UCV3 x ♂UCLA37 and ♀UCV3 x ♂UCLA90 resulted in the phenotype brown seed coats

Summary

Introduction

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important cultivated species in tropical areas. It is mainly used as a source of high‐quality edible oil and for different types of direct consumption (Laurentin & Karlosvky, 2006). India, China, Ethiopia, and Nigeria are the major producers worldwide. About 25% of their production is export‐driven and mainly sent to China, Japan, Turkey, Korea, and Syria. Sesame production in Latin America is oriented to exportation. Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, and Venezuela are the major exporter countries in the region and are responsible for about 10% of the international market. The most exported agricultural product in Venezuela is represented by sesame grains

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Results