dek21 is allelic to w2

--Philip S. Stinard and Donald S. Robertson

The mutant dek21, located on 10L, is a defective kernel mutant conditioning etched/pitted endosperm kernels that produce white seedlings. In a purple aleurone background, mutant kernels have mosaicism for aleurone color as well. An aleurone mosaic mutant that was found segregating on the selfed ear of a purple Mutator plant, 87-2221-12, proved to be allelic to dek21. This mutant was designated dek21-2221. In the course of selecting mutants on 10L that could be used in linkage studies of dek21-2221, we found that w2, also on 10L, produces a pitted endosperm/white seedling phenotype. Since the mutant phenotypes of dek21 and w2 are similar, we set up crosses to test allelism of dek21 with w2 in our 1989-90 winter nursery. From intercrosses of these two mutants, ears were obtained that segregated for kernels with mosaic aleurone (in purple aleurone background) or pitted endosperm (in colorless background). When sown in the sandbench, mutant kernels gave rise to white seedlings. We conclude that dek21 is allelic to w2, and suggest that the designation with precedence, w2, be used in preference to dek21.

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