Phenotypic characterization of lettuce dwarf mutants and their response to applied gibberellins

Four monogenic, recessive dwarf mutants of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), previously isolated from a population induced by ethyl methanesulfonate, were compared with the normal genotype (E-1) for plant height, weight, leaf area, as well as hypocotyl length and root length. These nonallelic dwarfs (dwf1, dwf2, and dwf3) exhibited reduced hypocotyl length, smaller, dark green leaves, and reduced stem length. Another mutant, dwf2, allelic with dwf2, exhibited an intermediate phenotype. Epidermal cells on hypocotyls and mature leaves were counted for both normal E-1 and dwf2 plants. The total number of epidermal cells per unit area for hypocotyls and for leaves from these plants was very similar, implying the dwarf's smaller size was due to an inhibition of cell expansion and not due to decreased cell divisions. Both dwarf and normal hypocotyls elongated normally in response to exogenous gibberellin A(3) (GA(3)). In the rosette stage, only E-1 and dwf2 responded similarly to lower concentrations of GA(3), while the other dwarfs required higher concentrations to respond. Hypocotyls of dwf2 and E-1 elongated equally with applied ent-kaurenol, ent-kaurenoic acid, GA(53)-aldehyde, GA(53), GA(19), GA(20), and GA(1) indicating that the biochemical block in dwf2 occurs at a very early step in the GA-biosynthetic pathway.