Role of LLD, a new locus for leaflet/pinna morphogenesis in Pisum sativum

Properties of a mutant at theLLD (LEAF-LET DEVELOPMENT) locus in pea Pisum sativum L. are reported in this paper. Plants homozygous for the Mendelian recessive mutationlld bear leaves in which a few to many leaflets are incompletely developed. Opposite pinnae of rachis nodes often formed fused incompletely developed leaflets. Thelld mutation was observed to abort pinna development at almost all morphogenetic stages. Thelld mutation demonstrated high penetrance and low expressivity. The phenotypes oflld plants intl, tac, tl tac, tl af andtl af tac backgrounds suggested that LLD function is involved in the separation of lateral adjacent blastozones differentiated on primary, secondary and tertiary rachides and lamina development in leaflets. The aborted development of tendrils and leaflets inlld mutants was related to deficiency in vascular tissue growth. The morphological and anatomical features of the leaflets formed on atl lld double mutant permitted a model of basipetal leaflet development. The key steps of leaflet morphogenesis include origin of the lamina by splitting of a radially symmetrical growing pinna having abaxial outer surface, opposite to the vascular cylinder, through an invaginational groove, differentiation of adaxial surface along the outer boundary of split tissue in the groove and expansion of the lamina ridges so formed into lamina spans