The golden4 mutant, once thought to be lost, has been recovered from stocks at the Maize COOP Stock Center. This mutant was originally placed to linkage group 1 (Eyster, Bibliographia Genetica 11:187-392, 1934), which was later renamed linkage group 9 or chromosome 9 (Emerson, Beadle, and Fraser, Cornell Univ Agric Exp Stn Memoir 180:1-83, 1935). In 1962 g4 was shown to have no significant linkage in a 3-point linkage test with wx1 and bm4 on chromosome 9 (Brawn, MNL 36:49, 1962) and was then dropped from the 1983 genelist. It was recently relocated again among "unplaced goldens" in the COOP's stock collection.

The recovered stock traces back to maize genetic stocks grown by the COOP at Cornell in 1937. Notes in the records describe distinctly yellowish seedlings that persist and become more yellow at maturity. Tests by Brawn and others indicated g4 to be allelic to g1 on chromosome 10. Crosses were done in the COOP nursery that confirm g4 is allelic to g1, and the COOP g4 does not seem to be linked to wx1. The stock has been increased and placed with other g1 alleles. 

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