Inheritance of fruit colour in the Solanum nigrum complex

Abstract

In the Solatium nigrum complex there is wide variability in the fruit colour. In 17 accessions representing diploids, tetraploids and hexaploids, dark shining blue, dull blue, bright red, orange red, yellowish-red and translucent green were observed in the different accessions. Blue is inherited as dominant over red and translucent green; however, the results obtained in crosses between blue and translucent green cannot be explained on the basis of this simple relationship and it is tentatively assumed that duplicate*genes are involved in this case. In the tetraploids S. nigrum, S. villosum and S. miniatum the different shades of red seem to be controlled by alleles at the same locus.