GENETIC-ANALYSIS AND PLASTID ULTRASTRUCTURE OF 3 CHLOROPHYLL LETHAL MUTANTS IN WINTER RYE (SECALE-CEREALE L)

Chlorophyll mutants selected after winter rye self-fertilization were the object of the studies. Genetic analysis of F1 and F2 generations has shown that pink, orange and light violet colours of young seedlings (L 69, L 98, I 10) are determined by three recessive, non-allelic genes: cl1, cl2 and cl3. All three genes are lethal and in the homozygotic state cause the death of the seedlings four weeks after germination. In contrast to plastids of green plants, whose internal membrane system differentiates into grana and integrana thylakoids, the mutated plastids were characterized by the reduction of this system. Besides the lack of internal membranes (I 10), concentric thylakoids arrangement and their fragmentation to vesicles (L 69), or parallely positioned thylakoids accompanied by aggregation of plastoglobuli (L 98) have been observed. Rudimentary grana have been noticed only in orange seedlings (L 98).