Rick, C. M.
Solanifolia is a pleiotropic mutant picked up as an unfruitful mutant in a field of Pearson. As a seedling it shows considerable resemblance to c, but differs to such an extent in mature-plant characters that it should not be construed as a mimic and as the basis for a series of c-subscript symbols. The first true leaf usually has a large entire segment with a small basal lateral segment. This tendency to have a reduced number of segments continues throughout seedling development, but is never so extreme as in c or e. Margins of all leaves are entire. The interactions with c and e in the seedling stage are complex, but can be worked out. The compound sf-c, for example, is more reduced than either mutant alone, has single linear segments, but with one or two tiny basal segments, for its first five true leaves.
As a mature plant sf has about the same size and habit as normal Pearson, but its peculiar leaves give it a distinct appearance. They have narrow entire segments, of normal number, but are strongly folded and darker green. The smaller leaf segments are lacking. Flowers are also drastically modified: calyx reduced, corolla segments narrow, stamens mostly dialytic, pistil variable but usually split into separate carpels, often highly deformed. A few fruits set without aid, usually by the least deformed flowers. Fertility after artificial selfing and crossing is reasonably good.
Segregation data for 6 F2 families from different crosses reveals a very good fit to 3:1 (1688+:555 sf) with no significant departure from homogeneity (X^2 9.78 p=0.1-0.05). The following data show a linkage of 34 units between rv and sf, finally providing a long-sought neighbor to the former gene.
Contingency
Tester + + + t sf + sf + chi square co.
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a 110 37 26 10 0.01
a 219 69 86 30 0.07
ah 169 41 33 19 5.91
c 101 46 25 11 0.01
d 118 29 28 8 0.009
dl 177 33 43 9 0.005
l 238 50 100 16 0.53
rv 164 49 80 7 8.15 33.0 +- 3.4
rv 599 85 231 11 11.2 35.0 +- 1.9
tf 65 26 21 7 0.016
Wo 34 57 7 21 0.95
Xa 26 65 11 17 0.70
yv 161 49 44 8 1.12