ARS | Publication request: Inheritance of red foliage in flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.)

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 5, 2010
Publication Date: November 1, 2010
Citation: Wadl, P., Wang, X., Pantalone, V., Trigiano, R. 2010. Inheritance of red foliage in flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Euphytica. 176(1):99-104. DOI: 10.1007/s10681-0100219-7.

Interpretive Summary: Understanding the mode of inheritance for traits with ornamental appeal allows the plant breeder to design controlled crosses and potentially develop new cultivars with novel phenotypes that benefit nurserymen and garden enthusiasts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the mode of inheritance for foliage color in flowering dogwood. Although our proposed hypothesis on the genetics of red foliage color in flowering dogwood must be verified quantitatively, the qualitative data from this inheritance study indicate that complementary genes control red foliage color. We propose the symbols rl1 and rl2 for the genes controlling this trait. We expect that the determination of the mode of inheritance for red foliage will allow plant breeders to development novel cultivars incorporating this trait.

Technical Abstract: Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) is an ornamental tree valued for its showy white, pink, or red spring bract display and red fall color. A ‘‘pseudo’’ F2 flowering dogwood population was recently developed from a honeybee mediated cross of ‘Cherokee Brave’ x ‘Appalachian Spring’. The foliage color of 94 ‘‘pseudo’’ F2 plants segregated into green- and red- leaved phenotypes and was visually rated for color on five spring dates over 3 years (2007–2009). Chi-square analyses of observed segregation of phenotypes indicated that a complementary gene interaction form of epistasis controls foliage color with a 9:7 two gene ratio. We propose the symbols rl1 and rl2 for the genes controlling this trait.