Inheritance of Nitrate Accumulation in Lettuce1

Abstract

Abstract F 2 generation of lettuce crosses ( Lactuca sativa L.) involving 2 low and 3 high nitrate accumulating cultivars indicated a few major genes were responsible for the control of high or low nitrate accumulation. The segregation of low × high crosses suggested that the 2 low accumulators had different genotypes. Low nitrate accumulation could be explained by dominant complementary epistasis in ‘Valmaine’ and a single dominant gene in ‘Wonder Van Voor-burg’. The F 2 segregation of ‘Valmaine’ × ‘Wonder Van Voorburg’ cross confirmed the geno-typic differences. Recessive genes controlled high nitrate accumulation.