A Virescent mutant in melon

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Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 18: 37-37 (article 16) 1995

M. Pitrat, C. Olivier and M. Ricard
INRA, Station d’ Amelioration des Plantes Maraicheres, B.P. 94, 84143 Montfavet cedex (France)

A mutant of Cucumis melo L. has been described with white cotyledons which later turn green and light green young leaves which turn normal green when becoming older (Pitrat et al., 1991). The genetic control of this character has not published. The F1 hybrid with a normal melon line is normal indicating a recessive control of the virescent character. In an F2 progeny the segregation observed (235 normal vs 66 virescent) fits well with a monogenic recessive control (c – 1.516, Prob = 22%).

Another virescent mutant has been described by Hoffman and Nugent (1973). The F1 hybrid between this virescent mutant (symbol v) and the new one is normal. The control of the two virescent mutants is recessive; moreover in the F2 progeny, normal green plants are observed indicating that the two genes are not allelic.

A second virescent mutant (virescent-2, symbol v-2) has been found by Dyutin (1967) but seeds are not available and an allelism test cannot be made.

We propose for the new virescent mutant the name virescent-3 and the symbol v-3.

Literature Cited

  1. Dyutin K.E. 1979. (Inheritance of yellow-green coloration of the young leaves in melon) (in Russian). Tsitologia i genetika 13:407-408.
  2. Hoffman J.C. and P.E. Nugent. 1973. Inheritance of a virescent mutant of muskmelon. J. Hered. 64:311-312.
  3. Pitrat M., G. Risser, C. Ferriere, C. Olivier and M. Ricard. 1991. Two virescent mutants in melon (Cucumis melo). Cucurbit Genetics Coop. Rept. 14:45.