DWARFING GENES IN THE GENUS LENS MILL

Dwarfing genes were detected following intra- and interspecific hybrid ization in Lens. Dwarf phenotypes are controlled by two complementary dominant genes, Df(1) and Df(2). These two genes are suppressed by the dominant allele of the dwarf inhibitor genes, Dfi. The dominant allel e of the Df gene was detected in L. ervoides from Ethiopia and Uganda and in a cultivated line of L. culinaris from Ethiopia, that of the Df (2) gene in a L. ervoides accession from Israel. The dominant allele o f the Dfi gene was detected in segregating populations of hybrids betw een L. ervoides accessions from Israel and Uganda. Using the homozygou s dwarf, dfidfi, Df(1)Df(1), Df(2)Df(2) as the parent in interspecific crosses, we detected the dominant allele of the Dfi gene in one acces sion of L. nigricans and another of L. lamottei. The appearance of dwa rf plants in segregating populations of hybrids between the cultivated line from Ethiopia and L. ervoides from Israel indicate that the cult ivated line possesses the dominant allele of the Dfi gene. Dwarf plant s were characterized by short internodes, a short leaf axis and smalle r, convex leaflets. Spraying the dwarf plants with gibberellic acid in duced internode and lead-axis elongation but had no effect on leaflet shape and size. When the dwarfs and their parental lines were grown in the dark they had the same internode length.