Inheritance of brown leaf pigmentation in lentil (Lens culinaris)

Inheritance of brown pigmentation of the leaves was studied in 11 crosses involving 9 genotypes with pigmented and 4 with nonpigmented (green) leaves, which were crossed in direct (6 crosses) and reciprocal (4 crosses) combinations. Analysis of 4468 F₂ plants under field conditions revealed perfect monogenic segregation into 3 brown: 1 green ratio. It was a rare case of absence of deviations from expected numbers in F₂, resulting into χ² = 0. The development of brown pigmentation is, thus, controlled by a single dominant gene and its recessive condition results in formation of normal green leaves through the entire plant life. The gene symbol B1 (brown leaf) is proposed for this trait. The pattern of stage-dependent synthesis of brown pigment and its disappearance is described.