Some Physiological Characteristics of the Ethylene-requiring Tomato Mutant Diageotropica

The diageotropica mutant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is shown to require exogenous ethylene for normal growth and development. This single gene mutant is characterized by unsupported horizontal growth of shoots and roots, dark green hyponastic leaf segments, thin rigid stems, and primary and adventitious roots which lack lateral roots. Experiments with growth regulators indicate that the mutant does not produce normal amounts of ethylene in response to auxin treatment. Tests with ethylene-producing compounds or ethylene precursors demonstrate that the mutant requires ethylene for normality. Ethylene concentrations as low as 0.005 microliters per liter are capable of completely normalizing mutant characteristics. This mutant with its isogenic parent variety, cv. VFN8, should be a suitable tool for investigating auxin-stimulated ethylene production and their interrelationship in the control of plant morphology and physiology.