A bronze kernel with fully colored spots arose in the 1979 isolation plot from the cross of C Sh Bz Wx (63 1005/828) X C sh bz wx. The new bronze mutable allele has been designated bz-m805137 (P. A. Peterson MNL 57:2). Mutability of this allele is controlled by an independent element designated Cy. In the absence of Cy, bz-m805137 conditions a stable bronze phenotype. This original isolate is a responsive allele, designated bz-rcy. In the presence of Cy a fine-high pattern is produced by the original isolate. Numerous heritable patterns characterized by a reduced frequency of mutation, and in some cases by earlier mutation, have been isolated. Several of these have been shown to be conditioned by the state of the allele.

The isolate bz-rcy is not triggered to produce spots by the regulatory elements En, Ac, Uq, or Dt. Cy does not trigger mutability at En, Ac, Uq, Mrh or Dt responsive alleles. These data are summarized in Table 1. These results place bz-m805137 as a newly described system, subject to negative relationships to the Mut, Bg and Fcu systems.

Table 1.

Patrick S. Schnable and Peter A. Peterson

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