Soost, R. K.
An orange fruited line has been isolated from a derivative of an L. chilense x L. esculentum cross. Crosses with red fruited and yellow fruited selections indicate that this color is determined by at least one gene in addition to the r^+ locus. The orange color is not expressed in the absence of r^+. That is, all orange phenotypes are at least heterozygous for r^+. F1 plants of orange x yellow backcrossed to yellow produce yellow, orange and red fruited plants in a ratio of 2 yellow to 1 orange to 1 red. Half of the yellow plants are heterozygous for "O" giving red and orange progeny in a 1:1 ratio when crossed with red. The intensity of the orange color varies indicating that additional genes modify the color expression. The pigment system is different from either high beta-carotene lines or tangerine. The main pigment is not pro-lycopene or beta-carotene but probably delta-carotene.