Fruit characterization, genotyping, and genetic assessment of peach-to-nectarine mutants

Authors: Chen, Chunxian

Submitted to: Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Abstract Only.

Technical Abstract: Spontaneous peach-to-nectarine mutants showed broad pleiotropic effects on fruit size, taste, chemical profiles, and other attributes, in addition to the dominant-to-recessive allele change at the single G locus (controlling the pubescence trait). In this report, we summarized the results from fruit characterization and genotyping of our peach-to-nectarine mutants and genetic assessment of their progeny from self and reciprocal crosses, in comparison to their peach progenitors and true-to-type nectarines. The nectarine mutant fruit had significantly smaller size, lighter weight, higher soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and SSC/TA ratio than their peach progenitors. The fruit also differed in taste and volatile profiles but resembled in blush coverage, pit shape, and flesh and pit color. Intriguingly, when using DNA from their whole leaf or whole fruit tissues, the PCR product pattern of the peach-to-nectarine mutants at the G locus were identical to that of their peach progenitors (all were Gg) and distinct to the tested true-to-type nectarines (all were gg). The fruit phenotypes of the progeny from self of these mutants were also segregating in a similar manner to those from their peach progenitors. The genotyping and genetic assessment results appeared in contrast to those observed (and expected) from true-to-type nectarines, suggesting these mutants might be worthy of further genomic and cellular dissection to uncover the unusual genetic nature and underlying mechanism of these spontaneous mutations.