Inheritance of fruit color and pigment changes in a yellow tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mutant

A naturally occurring yellow tomato fruit mutant cv. Santa Clara was reciprocally crossed with the red wild type, after which F-1 plants were self pollinated or backcrossed with both parents. Plants from F-1 generations produced all fruits with a homogeneous deep red color when ripe. F-2 plants showed a 3:1 red:yellow segregation of fruit color, and 100% red when backcrossed with red wild type or 1:1 red:yellow segregation in backcrosses with the yellow mutant; hence, yellow fruit color was determined by a recessive allele. Based on reciprocal crosses, fruit color is unlikely to be determined by maternal genes. Accumulation of lycopene dropped by 99.3% and beta-carotene by 77% in ripe yellow fruits, compared to the red wild type. Leaf and flower chlorophyll and total carotenoid concentrations were not affected by the yellow mutation. However, the mutant fruit had a higher rate of chlorophyll degradation during fruit ripening, whilst fruit from the F-1 generation showed lower rates of degradation, similar to that observed in red wild type fruits.