Dept. Veg Crops, Univ. Calif. Davis, CA 95616
Recently we have acquired two new anthocyanin deficiencies, both totally deficient in the pigment in all vegetative parts at all examined stages. ag^k^ (LA3149): This variant was found by KK as a single mutant plant induced by EMS in Jones' T-5. It was otherwise notable for a high level of male-sterility and short internodes. Its anthers tend to brown and shrivel distally, this disorder progressively spreading from there. Only at the expense of much effort could pollen be probed from its stamens, and after selfing very few seeds were produced. On one of the progeny plants we made allele test crosses with a, af, ag, ah, aw, and bls. Progeny of all these crosses save those with ag were entirely normally pigmented. Two progenies of crosses with ag yielded four and 14 seedlings, all anthocyanin-deficient. Like the parent line, all were totally green, not exhibiting the strong purpling of lower leaf surfaces, typical of ag. The new allele thus resembles ag^2^ in this respect. To test the nature of its sterility and other features, the same plant was crossed as female x VF36 and yielded normal seed quantities, revealing normal female fertility. The F1 progeny had normal male and female fertility. In the F2, ag^k^ segregated normally, and a sample of the deficient seedlings were grown to flowering. Amongst this group 18 plants have flowered and selfs were attempted on them; 13 produced abundant pollen and on selfing set seedy fruits; 5, like the original plants of the mutant, failed to produce pollen or set fruits on selfing. The sterility, which apparently is a second induced mutation (ms-50) in this stock, appears to be independent of ag^k^. Some of the plants of this group were stunted but conditions were not favorable for assessment of the short-internode feature; at least, it was certainly not a pleiotropic effects of ag^k^ or tightly linked with it.
ae^2^ (3-706): Another EMS-induced mutant, this one came from treated cv. UC82B. Like the original ae, it is totally free of anthocyanin. Allele test crosses were attempted with aa, ae, ag, ah, are, aw, and bls. The cross with ae yielded 24 green-stems and no normals. All other crosses yielded ample progeny, but normally pigmented. Except from its isogenicity with UC83B, ae^2^ has no noteworthy features.
As noted previously, new loci for anthocyaninless mutations have not been reported for quite a long time; all recent mutants belong to previously reported loci. The additional evidence reported here therefore seems to endorse the conclusions that most or all of the major loci for anthocyanin deficiency in tomatoes have been found.