Flower color in tomatoes. Any alternates to yellow?

[Tom Wagner]

A fellow plant breeder sent me an email after talking with a seedsman of some note. He asked me if there were any examples of red, pink, or striped tomato flowers. Obviously, I did not know of any but I did a search of the TGRC just to make sure. Most of the 86 hits had nothing to do with flower, petal or corolla color. I listed the genes anyway and added comments of those of some interest. The problem with alternate flower color is that too ofter the genes have other bad traits that are not usable in crossing to make new lines of any great cheer.

I have already worked with the near white flowers and darker or lighter versions of the standard yellow types.




Results: (Total: 86)

ama

flowers small and petals narrow with white edges

an

no flowers appear

an-2

an-3

ana

smaller flowers, narrow petals

ap

Corolla reduced or absent

apn

tiny flowers

at

corolla pale yellow, nearly white

auc

B

Corolla tawny orange

Bco

Corolla pigment intensifier

bl

bn

car

ccf

ch

Greenish-yellow subnormal petals

chrs

many small pale yellow petals

cjf

Cl

cl-2

clau

cna

petals light yellow

coa

d

d-4

darker flower color

def

def-2

dl

dx-2

ex

f

fe

fir-2

fli

gas

gfl

Corolla tips remain attached

gla

glo-2

gm

Calyx and corolla segments tending to be connivent

gq

Gx

ht

id

jug

Lpg

ls

lu

Light yellow corolla

maa

mc

corolla subnormal in development and rarely spread at anthesis

mcs

men

mic

lighter yellow petals, uprolled margins

ms-08

ms-22

flower color slightly lighter.

mup

ariable whorled flower parts

mux

nf

og

pal

paler corolla

pct

pf

pi

pi-2

flowers small with only calyx and pistil

pol-2

ps

ps-2

pt-4

sf

filiform calyx and corolla

sha

sl

sl-2

stam

Staminoid petals

t

pleiotropic on flower color, causing suffusion of an orange tone over the anthers.

tc

petal tips turbinate

te

tur

up

vg

vms

w

w-3

w-4

w-5

Wa

Anthers white or cream-colored

wf

Corolla color is buff, light tan, or white

yc

Calyx turns yellow when fruit ripens

[carolyn137]

The variety White Flowered Marge has white petals and those of Lutescent also have almost white petals but you say you've already worked with accessions that do have white petals.

I don't know of any red or pink petalled varieties, but there's a series of varieties bred in Canada that have a gold stripe on each petal. Right now I can't remember any in that series so maybe someone else here will, and if not my brain may kick in and I'll remember, but that's not a given.

I just remembered that there are a couple of sites that list Canadian bred varieties and looking through these rang half a bell:

High Crimson
Trimson
Earlirouge

In any case probably from Jack Metcalf who was head at the Smithfield Station for so many years. I've grown one of them and I clearly remember someone else talking about that striping on the petals.

And it's one of two folks who also post here so if nothing comes up I can ask both of them IF a striped petal interests you.


Just a gentle suggestion, nothing guaranteed.

[bower]

A couple of new to me varieties are flowering and the flowers have darker orange colour instead of yellow. A search turned up this thread - and excellent reference with links to the genes involved in flower colour - many thanks, Tom!

Bursztyn is a "yellow-orange" variety - the corolla is yellow but the stamens are deep orange. I'm guessing the fruit colour probably comes from the combination of yellow and tangerine.

Datlo is an orange tomato - a new Czech variety - in this case both the stamens and the petals are a deep orange colour. I'm guessing that tangerine is again indicated.

This makes me think I've never grown a "tangerine" orange tomato before - I would have noticed the flower colour I think. Is it really that easy to pick out a 'tangerine' orange, just by looking at the flowers? Is the overall orange colour as in Datlo flower typical of tangerine types (eg Jubilee, Moon Glow, Tangerine) or is there another gene involved, I wonder?

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow morning.

[carolyn137]

Different blossom colors?

Off hand I can think of

Lutescent, nee Honor Bright with pale ivory/whiteblossoms

White Flowered Marge, which speaks to itself

Dr. Lyle which also has pale ivory blossoms

Any variety with the crimson gene dominant where petals are yellow with a gold streak down the center. High Crimson is an example and not related to the crimson gene being used for high lycopene content.

I know of a thread at another place which discusses blossom/stamen color in detail and I did a Google search but couldn't find it.

Carolyn

[bower]

I took some photos yesterday and then realized that I didn't distinguish between the different stages which are possible as the anther colour intensifies and changes as the flower matures. So.. another set of photos this morning.

I guess I never paid attention before, but there's actually a fair bit of variation in flower colour. There are at least three, and I think more than three different flower colours in my greenhouse at the moment - so I'll start with the three at hand which are clear and distinct from one another. I'm trying to make myself a flower colour key that might help me to identify fruit colour in my F2's, from their flowers.

Moravsky Div is shown in the first picture, a cluster of flowers at different stages. The anthers are clear yellow like the petals when it first opens, and then darken to orange as the flower matures. This seems to be typical of many red-fruited varieties, but there are exceptions, with a more intense or even orange coloured stamen cone as soon as the flower opens eg Altajskiy Urozajniy.

Bursztyn cluster is shown in the second picture. The anther cone is a dark orange as soon as the flower opens and is unchanged. Datlo flowers are the same. In Tom's list of traits above, t tangerine is identified as the gene which is pleiotropic on flower colour and suffuses the anthers with orange.

Indian Stripe is shown in the third picture. The anther cone is pale yellow or greenish yellow when the flower opens, and darkens to an amber colour at maturity, instead of orange. All of the known black fruited varieties presently in my greenhouse have the same flower colour.

[Dutch]

Excellent work Bower! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Dutch

[NarnianGarden]

Lovely! I'll keep an eye on my varieties this year, to make notes on their blossom color..

[bower]

NarnianGarden, that would be awesome. I hope others will pitch in and share their observations, and we will surely learn something this season.
The orange fruit genetics is especially tangly - four different roads to orange - and it does make a difference when you're crossing orange varieties, to know whether the alleles are going to add up or not. Also the fruit chemistry is different, with high beta carotene in "Beta" orange and prolycopene in "tangerine" orange fruit. All good for you I guess, but it's nice to know what you're gettnig and does matter to some people.

Zolotoe Serdtse is an example of "Beta" orange. The flowers shown below are similar to those also found in some red fruited varieties. The anthers are intensely yellow or a bit orange already at the base of the cone when the flower has just opened, and darken towards orange as it matures. It can easily be told apart from the tangerine dark orange flower.
ZS and some others have quite a long greenish tip on the anther cone.
I gotta stop looking at flowers!

[crmauch]

Excellent pictures! Maybe eventually you could repost the pictures with the resulting/typical fruit next to them?

Originally Posted by bower

I took some photos yesterday and then realized that I didn't distinguish between the different stages which are possible as the anther colour intensifies and changes as the flower matures. So.. another set of photos this morning.

I guess I never paid attention before, but there's actually a fair bit of variation in flower colour. There are at least three, and I think more than three different flower colours in my greenhouse at the moment - so I'll start with the three at hand which are clear and distinct from one another. I'm trying to make myself a flower colour key that might help me to identify fruit colour in my F2's, from their flowers.

Moravsky Div is shown in the first picture, a cluster of flowers at different stages. The anthers are clear yellow like the petals when it first opens, and then darken to orange as the flower matures. This seems to be typical of many red-fruited varieties, but there are exceptions, with a more intense or even orange coloured stamen cone as soon as the flower opens eg Altajskiy Urozajniy.

Bursztyn cluster is shown in the second picture. The anther cone is a dark orange as soon as the flower opens and is unchanged. Datlo flowers are the same. In Tom's list of traits above, t tangerine is identified as the gene which is pleiotropic on flower colour and suffuses the anthers with orange.

Indian Stripe is shown in the third picture. The anther cone is pale yellow or greenish yellow when the flower opens, and darkens to an amber colour at maturity, instead of orange. All of the known black fruited varieties presently in my greenhouse have the same flower colour.

[bower]

Originally Posted by crmauch

Excellent pictures! Maybe eventually you could repost the pictures with the resulting/typical fruit next to them?

Sure willl, all fingers crossed for safely ripened fruit.

I'm growing some F2's where black fruit is the desired... So I have looked at the flowers now and made my predictions as to which should be black... will see.
Some may also have both Beta and black, at least I hope so.. will be taking note whether that's a ZS type flower or the other, if it does come up.

[NarnianGarden]

Talking of genetics.. I wonder which orange varieties have which genes. German Strawberry, for example - is it cause of its orange color known? I hope to get a 'tangerine' gened variety, for the health benefits it supposedly has over other orange causing genes...

[heirloomtomaguy]

Very interesting now i have to pay closer attention to my growouts flower color.

[Starlight]

Me too. Awesome pics. I know I have seen different flower colors on my peppers, but never thought to look for it on the tomatoes. I'll be looking for sure as I scout for bugs everyday.

Such a neat discovery. Thank you Bower for sharing and bringing to our attention. : )

[FredB]

Changing the topic slightly, Solanum peruvianum has larger flowers than the domestic tomato. The yellow color is also a bit more intense. It would be an interesting place to start if one wanted to develop an ornamental tomato. The fruits are 1/2", green with a purple blush, and they stay green and hard forever. I'll post photos when my plants start to flower.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by FredB

Changing the topic slightly, Solanum peruvianum has larger flowers than the domestic tomato. The yellow color is also a bit more intense. It would be an interesting place to start if one wanted to develop an ornamental tomato. The fruits are 1/2", green with a purple blush, and they stay green and hard forever. I'll post photos when my plants start to flower.

Fred, the only time I've ever seen fruits never ripen they have either rin or nor, which are ripening inhibitor genes, but I didn't think peruvianum was like that since many use it in breeding projects.

The rin mutant I had was called Dourne d Hivre and it came to me from Norbert in France in that huge trade in 1992 that 4 of us participated in.

I actually had to take a hammer to those fruits to get any seeds out and when I SSE listed I urged folks to use it in crossing projects to preserve the gorgeous colors on the exterior, which were swirls of red, orange, yellow, salmon, pink and whatever.

Mark, Frogsleap Farm here at Tville, was looking for some rin or nor mutants, so I sent him some seed, it was old seed, he did get a few plants but it took so long for germination that he never got fruits from it.

Carolyn