Magnitude of Genotype x Environment Interactions Affecting Tomato Fruit Morphology

CAO, CHUNXUE; DEBENPORT, SPENCER J.; RODRÍGUEZ, GUSTAVO RUBÉN; LABATE, JOANNE A.; PANTHEE, DILIP R.; VAN DER KNAAP, ESTHER; MCSPADDEN GARDENER, BRIAN B.

Minneapolis

Congreso; Plant Biology 2011; 2011

American Society of Plant Biologist

Fruit morphology can vary substantially, providing a unique opportunity to study important plant developmental pathways. To study the impact of relative effects genotype and the environment on tomato fruit morphology, shape characteristics of 48 cultivars grown at 3 different locations (OH, NC, and NY) were studied. Individual samples consisted of approximately 20 fruits from each plant classified as either True to type or Malformed at harvest. Longitudinal and transverse fruit cutting images were analyzed using Tomato Analyzer software. Significant variation in several fruit shape indices, mass and fruit number etc. was observed for both environment and genotype*environment interactions. 14 of the 48 tomato genotypes and 5 of 8 shape classes were more sensitive than others to environmental variation. Furthermore, cultivars belonging to genotype clusters 3 (harboring morphology genes SUN, FAS, LC) and 5 (harboring LC) defined with neutral genetic markers were more sensitive to others to having their expression (at the fruit level) modulated by environmental factors. These results indicate that fruit morphology of certain tomato genes and genotypes are particularly sensitive to environmental variation. Further studies will aim to find out whether differential colonization by plant associated fungi contribute to such prominent genotype and environment effects.