Interaction of three homeotic barley genes involved in flower development

Abstract

Flowers of Poaceae plants have a specific structure of the lemma and palea and two lodicules. Their genetical control has been investigated insufficiently, and the interaction of homeotic mutants introduced in the development of those organs, is of interest. In the present work, the interaction of two groups of homeotic mutants, attributed in previous and present investigations to four different loci, was examined: tw and lax (belonging to two loci, lax-a and lax-c) controlling the development of lodicules characterized by homeotic conversion of lodicules to stamens, and tw – also to carpels; in Hooded (K) mutants, an additional inverted flower develops at the site of transition between the lemma and the awn or on the awn. The Hooded, lax-a and tw give an independent phenotypic effect, while an interaction between lax-c and lax-a loci was observed. It has been supposed that lax-c is a slight suppressor of lax-a mutation. Keywords: Poaceae fl ower control, lodicule development, homeotic gene interaction, hooded (K) mutants, lax mutants, tw mutants