Aero

 

Aero (Aeromaculata)

Aero is one of the genes that causes a distinctive change in the appearance of the leaf because of a physical separation of the leaf epidermis from the underlying structure. This separation allows the epidermis to release itself from the subtending tissues, resulting in a thin air space. Because of this air space, the epidermis takes on a transluscent appearance, rather than the transparency it exhibits when attached to the layer below, making it appear a relatively dull grey as compared to an attached epidermis. What distinguishes the aero gene from the other genes that share this effect is the degree and distribution of this disattachment. The fl gene (flecking - also called aeromaculata), by comparison, causes only small scattered grey spots on leaf surfaces, which is common to most peas. The Arg gene (argenteum), in contrast, has air spaces under large areas of leaves - often the entire leaf surface - giving the whole plant a dull grey appearance.

Aero maps toward one of the ends of linkage group IB, and is recorded as present in eleven accessions of this collection. Three of those accessions are pure aero, while the other eight are recorded as near-isogenic mixed lines for aero. If you would like to query upon the gene aero, click here.