PHENOTYPE STUDY OF MULTIFOLIOLATE LEAF FORMATION IN TRIFOLIUM ALEXANDRINUM L.
Loading...
Date
2021-03
Authors
Malaviya, Devendra Ram
Roy, Ajoy Kumar
Kaushal, Pankaj
Pathak, Shalini
Kalendar, Ruslan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PeerJ
Abstract
Background. The genus Trifolium is characterized by typical trifoliolate leaves. Alterations in leaf formats from trifoliolate to multifoliolate, i.e., individual plants bearing
trifoliolate, quadrifoliolate, pentafoliolate or more leaflets, were previously reported
among many species of the genus. The study is an attempt to develop pure pentafoliolate
plants of T. alexandrinum and to understand its genetic control.
Methods. The experimental material consisted of two populations of T. alexandrinum
with multifoliolate leaf expression, i.e.,interspecific hybrid progenies of T. alexandrinum with T. apertum, and T. alexandrinum genotype Penta-1. Penetrance of the
multifoliolate trait was observed among multifoliolate and trifoliolate plant progenies.
In vitro culture and regeneration of plantlets from the axillary buds from different plant
sources was also attempted.
Results. The inheritance among a large number of plant progenies together with in
vitro micro-propagation results did not establish a definite pattern. The multifoliolate
leaf formation was of chimeric nature, i.e., more than one leaf format appearing on
individual branches. Reversal to normal trifoliolate from multifoliolate was also quite
common. Penetrance and expression of multifoliolate leaf formation was higher among
the plants raised from multifoliolate plants. Multifoliolate and pure pentafoliolate
plants were observed in the progenies of pure trifoliolate plants and vice-versa. There
was an apparent increase in the pentafoliolate leaf formation frequency over the years
due to targeted selection. A few progenies of the complete pentafoliolate plants in
the first year were true breeding in the second year. Frequency of plantlets with
multifoliolate leaf formation was also higher in in vitro axillary bud multiplication
when the explant bud was excised from the multifoliolate leaf node.
Conclusion. Number of leaflets being a discrete variable, occurrence of multifoliolate
leaves on individual branches, reversal of leaf formats on branches and developing
true breeding pentafoliolates were the factors leading to a hypothesis beyond normal
Mendelian inheritance. Transposable elements (TEs) involved in leaf development in
combination with epigenetics were probably responsible for alterations in the expression of leaflet number. Putative TE’s movement owing to chromosomal rearrangements
possibly resulted in homozygous pentafoliolate trait with evolutionary significance.
The hypothesis provides a new insight into understanding the genetic control of this
trait in T. alexandrinum and may also be useful in other Trifolium species where such
observations are reported.
Description
Keywords
Agricultural Science, Biodiversity, Genetics, Plant Science, Egyptian clover, Genetics, Pentafoliate, Multifoliate and trifoliate plants, The multifoliate trait
Citation
Malaviya, D. R., Roy, A. K., Kaushal, P., Pathak, S., & Kalendar, R. (2021). Phenotype study of multifoliolate leaf formation in Trifolium alexandrinum L. PeerJ, 9, e10874. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10874