Inheritance of yellow-flowered characteristic and yellow pigments in diploid cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum Mill.) cultivars

The mode of inheritance of the yellow-flowered phenotype of yellow-flowered cyclamen was investigated. All F₁ progenies obtained by reciprocal crosses between yellow- and white-flowered cultivars were white-flowered and did not contain chalcone, the main pigment of yellow-flowered cyclamen. The segregation ratio of flower colors in most of F₂ and BC₁ progenies fitted the expected Mendelian ratio, showing that the yellow-flowered phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene. The petals of all yellow-flowered plants in F₂ and BC₁ progenies contained chalcone. It is suggested that a single recessive gene causes the lack or defectiveness of chalcone-flavanone isomerase and determines the yellow-flowered phenotype.