Abstract
Fruit shape is a quantitatively inherited character. In tomato, two major loci, sun and ovate, control fruit shape index, which is the ratio of fruit height over width. In this study, we measured many additional fruit shape features in three inter-specific F2 populations using the software application Tomato Analyzer. These populations were derived from varieties carrying elongated fruit but for which the major shape loci differed. We compared the effect of the major fruit shape loci with overall shape, as well as with the distal and proximal end shape features in each population. sun and ovate represented the largest effect on fruit shape in the Howard German and Sausage F2 populations, respectively. The largest effect QTL in the Rio Grande population carrying neither sun nor ovate, were fs8.1 on chromosome 8 and tri2.1/dblk2.1 on chromosome 2. These latter loci were also segregating in the other two populations, thus indicating common regions that control shape across the three populations. The phenotypic analyses showed that sun and ovate contributed to almost all aspects of shape such as the distal and proximal end features. In Rio Grande however, the largest effect QTL did not control all aspects of shape and the distal and proximal features were distinctly controlled in that population. Combined, our results implied that within the cultivated tomato germplasm pool the largest effect on elongated fruit shape was controlled by a combination of the loci sun, ovate, fs8.1 and tri2.1/dblk2.1.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants DBI 0227541 and DBI 0400811. MJ Gonzalo was also supported by a fellowship EX2004-0293 from The Ministry of Education and Science of Spain. We thank the Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center for use of equipment, Jenny Moyseenko for plant care and Marin Brewer for assistance with genotyping of the RG population.
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Communicated by C. Hackett.
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Supplementary Table S1. Correlation matrix of the 14 fruit shape attributes by population. (a) Correlation matrix for Howard German F2 population, (b) Correlation matrix for Sausage F2 population and (c) Correlation matrix for Rio Grande F2 population. The significant values at P < 0.0001 are highlighted. The attributes included in the boxes are highly correlated between them (doc 77 kb)
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Gonzalo, M.J., van der Knaap, E. A comparative analysis into the genetic bases of morphology in tomato varieties exhibiting elongated fruit shape. Theor Appl Genet 116, 647–656 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0698-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0698-7