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Title: Flesh color inheritance and gene interactions among canary yellow, pale yellow and red watermelon

Author
item BANG, HAEJEEN - Texas A&M University
item Davis, Angela
item KIM, SUNGGIL - Chonnam National University
item LESKOVAR, DANIEL - Texas A&M University
item KING, STEPHEN - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/11/2010
Publication Date: 7/9/2010
Citation: Bang, H., Davis, A.R., Kim, S., Leskovar, D.I., King, S.R. 2010. Flesh color inheritance and gene interactions among canary yellow, pale yellow and red watermelon. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 135(4):362-368.

Interpretive Summary: Two genes are thought to determine flesh color between yellow and red watermelon. In this study, we created a genetically related family using 'Yellow Doll' (canary yellow) and 'Sweet Princess' (red) watermelon to confirm the previous report. A new distinct class of flesh color, pale yellow, was identified in the new family. Our data indicated that there are two genes involved in determining flesh color between yellow (both canary and pale yellow) and red. Therefore, we would designated Py for a pale yellow gene and C as a canary yellow gene and another as of yet unidentified gene controlled the amount of yellow pigment accumulated.

Technical Abstract: Two loci, C and i-C were previously reported to determine flesh color between canary yellow and red watermelon. Recently LCYB was found as a color determinant gene for canary yellow (C) and co-dominant CAPS marker was developed to identify canary yellow and red alleles. Another report suggested that the inhibitor of canary yellow (i-C) was not detected in our original family derived from a cross between canary yellow and red parents. In this study, we created a family using 'Yellow Doll' (canary yellow) and 'Sweet Princess' (red) to confirm the previous report. A new distinct class of flesh color, pale yellow, was identified in F2 and backcross generations of the new family. The chi square goodness-of-fit test indicated that there appeared to be two genes involved in determining flesh color between yellow (both canary and pale yellow) and red. Therefore, we would like to designate Py for a pale yellow determinant along with C as a canary yellow determinant. Py may result in pale yellow flesh color when it carries a recessive form of the gene. Moreover, it appeared that the inhibitor of C (i-C) didn't exist in the new family as it did in the original family. When the genotype of the new family was analyzed with a LCYB CAPS marker, the flesh color of every individual perfectly co-segregated with the marker. The new pale yellow phenotype also co-segregated with the canary yellow allele, which indicated, along with sequence data of LYCB which was identical in Py and C fruit, suggest that Py has the C allele and another as of yet unidentified gene controlled the amount of yellow pigment accumulated.