Inheritance of yellow-flowered characteristic and yellow pigments in diploid cyclamen ( Cyclamen persicum Mill.) cultivars

Abstract

The mode of inheritance of the yellow-flowered phenotype of yellow-flowered cyclamen was investigated. All F 1 progenies obtained by reciprocal crosses between yellow- and white-flowered cultivars were white-flowered and did not contain chalcone, the main pigment of yellow-flowered cyclamen. The segregation ratio of flower colors in most of F 2 and BC 1 progenies fitted the expected Mendelian ratio, showing that the yellow-flowered phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene. The petals of all yellow-flowered plants in F 2 and BC 1 progenies contained chalcone. It is suggested that a single recessive gene causes the lack or defectiveness of chalcone-flavanone isomerase and determines the yellow-flowered phenotype.