An in vitro method for screening for the presence of thepat-2 gene in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.).
Under field conditions,pat-2, the gene which conditions parthenocarpy in tomatoes, is recessive. A simple method has been devised for distinguishing the heterozygote from the two homozygotes using tissue culture. Ovaries of plants segregating for thepat-2 gene were excised and cultured on a medium containing 100 ppm gibberellic acid. After three weeks in culture, three distinct ovary sizes could be seen. It was shown, using F 3 progeny tests, that the largest ovaries corresponded to those plants homozygous for thepat-2 gene, the smallest ovaries corresponded to those plants homozygous for the wild type allele, and the intermediate sized ovaries were the heterozygotes. The ability to identify the heterozygote would greatly simplify a backcross breeding program aimed at incorporating thepat-2 gene into commercial cultivars by eliminating the need for an F 3 progeny test to determine the genotype of a plant.
Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA.
T E
TE
Young
J A
JA
Juvik
J G
JG
Sullivan
R M
RM
Skirvin