Characterization of a cucumber [Cucumis sativus L.] somaclonal variant with paternal inheritance

Regeneration of cucumber plants from leaf explants resulted in a new species phenotype designated mosaic (msc). It is characterized by two types of spots on the leaves (zucchini-like and chlorophyllous) and has many altered morphological and physiological properties including slower growth, smaller organs, poorly germinating or empty seeds and a smaller number of flowers per node. In msc plants the shape of the first leaf is always altered, and in about 76% of the flowers the crown is reduced and distorted to a varying degree. Chloroplasts of the zucchini-like sectors are filled with large starch grains, and some of the embryos die at various stages of development. The msc phenotype is transmitted uniparentally only by the male plant and no segregation is observed in the F2 and subsequent generations. Possible mechanisms responsible for the msc phenotype and its transmission are discussed