The trait of transversal , yellow stripes on leaves of rye ( Secale cereale

The lethal chlorophyll mutant is described in this work. It is characterized by irregular, transversal, yellow stripes of equal width on the leaf blade of seedlings. Those seedlings usually produced 2 leaves (though at times 3 or 4), however they did not propagate and some of them died out by the end of November. The way of inheritance of this trait was defined on the basis of segregation of plants with a normal green colour of leaves (491) and plants with yellow, transversal stripes on leaves (167) in the segregating population. The obtained segregation is close to the theoretical ratio 3:1 which shows that the feature is determined by a recessive gene denoted by the symbol tys (transversal, yellow stripes). The expression of gene tys was observed on the level of chloroplast ultrastructure in the shape of a reduction of the number of thylakoids and grana as well as lesser the net photosynthesis of intensity. Moreover, the tys gene caused a significant decrease of chlorophyll a and b content as well as a + b in leaves of the mutant in comparison with control. The chlorophyll mutant characterized above was first described in this work.