Putative paternal factors controlling chilling tolerance in Korean market-type cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Chilling temperatures (<10 C) may cause damages in cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L) during winter and early spring seasons. Inheritance of chilling injury in U.S. processing cucumber is controlled by cytoplasmic (maternally) and nuclear factors. To understand inheritance of chilling injury in Korean market-type cucumber, reciprocal crosses between chilling tolerant (CT1) and susceptible (CT4) lines produced F1 (CT1 x CT4) and F-1 (CT4 x CT1) progenies. Reciprocal F2 (CT1 x CT4) and F-2 (CT4 x CT1) populations were subsequently derived. Seedlings in the first true leaf stage were subjected to 4 C for 8 h (08:00 to 16:00) and damage level was assessed visually using 1 (no damage) to 5 (severe damage) rating scale. Means of damage rating for reciprocal F1 (CT1 x CT4) and F-1 (CT4 x CT1) progenies were 1.1 and 1.1, respectively. This indicates that tolerance for chilling stress at 4 C in this germplasm is dominant. However, means of damage for F-2 (CTI x CT4) progenies and F-2 (CT4 x CT1) progenies were 3.2 and 1.2, respectively. These data indicate that genetic control of chilling injury in these progenies is paternal. Based on the data, we hypothesize that line CT1 possesses a dominant nuclear factor that conditions chilling tolerance in both reciprocal Els and a paternal factor(s) that lead chilling tolerance only in F-2 (CT4 x CTI). These putative nuclear and paternal genetic factors are designated as Ch-1 and Ch-p, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.