Linkage relationships of genes for leaf morphology, flower color, and root nodulation in chickpea

Summary

The allelic and linkage relationships among five chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) morphological markers were investigated. When crossed with purple-flowered line ICC 640 and with each other, white flowered variety ‘UC5’ and mutant line PM974 were shown to carry non-allelic, single recessive genes for white flower color, provisionally designated w1 and w2, respectively. The single recessive gene conferring simple leaves in mutant PM299 was allelic to the previously described slv gene carried by variety ‘Surutato 77’, line ICC 10301, and other simple leaf chickpea mutants. In mutant 756M, a filiform leaf trait was controlled by a single recessive gene, fil, which was non-allelic to slv.

The fil and w2 genes were linked, with recombination frequencies of 0.05 and 0.14 estimated from results of coupling and repulsion phase crosses, respectively. fil and w1 segregated independently. Root nodulation gene rn3 was closely linked to slv: recombination frequencies of 0.05 and 0.11 were estimated from results of coupling and repulsion phase crosses, respectively. A loose linkage detected between the w2-fil and the rn3-slv linkage groups will be the subject of further scrutiny.