THE INHERITANCE OF COUMARIN IN SWEET CLOVER

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Botany
• Main Authors: Goplen, B. P., Greenshields, J. E. R., Baenziger, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1957
• Subjects: Plant Science; Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b57-048; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b57-048

The inheritance of coumarin in white blossom sweet clover was determined from a study of crosses involving plants of the variety Arctic (containing free coumarin). Pioneer (containing bound coumarin), and coumarin-deficient selections. Both a flurometric and a colorimeter test were used to detect the presence and type of coumarin.Among high-coumarin plants, variation in the amount of coumarin was due to non-heritable causes or genetic factors not detected in this study. The cross of free-coumarin × bound-coumarin plants established that the bound-coumarin character was inherited as a simple recessive. The gene symbol b is proposed for this character. In the crosses of high-coumarin × coumarin-deficient plants the F 1 progeny were more or less intermediate in coumarin content and the subsequent F 2 established that coumarin production is governed by one partially dominant gene. The symbol Cu is proposed for this gene. The gene B, responsible for the free-coumarin production, expresses itself only in the presence of Cu and is undetectable in a coumarin-deficient plant homozygous for cu. Some atypical unexplained F 2 ratios are reported.