Inheritance of style color in hazelnut

Abstract

The style color of standard hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars ranges from pink to dark purple. Styles with an unusual yellow color were first noted in seedlings of the progeny 'Goodpasture' x 'Compton', and the ratio was ≈3 red: 1 yellow. Controlled crosses were made to investigate the genetic control of style color. The same 3:1 ratio was observed in four additional crosses in which both parents had red styles. Two crosses of a red and a yellow parent gave ≈50% yellow styles, while a cross of two selections with yellow styles gave only seedlings with yellow styles. These segregation ratios indicate control by a single locus, with yellow style color recessive to red. Seedlings with yellow styles have green buds and catkins and a more upright growth habit than their siblings with red styles. Inspection of the pedigrees of these progenies shows that 'Daviana', 'Willamette', 'Butler', 'Compton', 'Goodpasture', and 'Lansing #1' are heterozygous. 'Daviana' appears to be the original source of the allele for yellow styles, as it is a known or suspected parent or ancestor of the others. Ratios in a progeny segregating simultaneously for growth habit (normal vs. contorted) and style color indicated independence of the traits. However, in a progeny segregating simultaneously for leaf color (red vs. green) and style color, no redleaf seedlings had yellow styles. The S-alleles of eight genotypes with yellow styles were determined, and indicate a possible linkage between the yellow style locus and the S locus that controls pollen-stigma incompatibility. One explanation is that the yellow style trait is conferred by an allele (a ys) at the anthocyanin (A) locus that controls leaf color. A second explanation is that there is & yellow style locus closely linked to the A locus. The A locus is known to be loosely linked to the S locus.