Light-yellow Coloration of Sweet Pea (<i>Lathyrus odoratus</i> L.) Flowers is Caused by Carotenoid and Regulated by a Single Recessive Gene

There are light-yellow flower cultivars of sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus L.), but no deep-yellow ones. Observation flowers under ultraviolet and blue light suggested that carotenoids responsible for the coloration. We carried out both spectroscopic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses floral extracts a cultivar, ‘Artemis’, revealed pigments not flavonoids, carotenoids, among which acylated lutein is major component. Because pigment color in other plants, we expect to be able generate pea. The R C loci complementary genes regulating biosynthesis anthocyanin cyanic coloration flowers. In progenies obtained by crossing ‘Artemis’ white ‘Diana White’, whose genotype RRcc, F1 plants had red phenotype only, F2 four phenotypes were white, yellow, combination yellow red. Furthermore, another ‘Stella’, only. These data indicate rrCC trait regulated single recessive gene, y, furthermore, y gene linkage with or allele. theoretical segregation ratio plants’ as one parent case Y, independent each presented. also found some containing higher amounts than ‘Artemis’.