Re: CULT:Sports anyone

--- Autmirislvr@aol.com wrote:
> <<  He said that there are occurences with diploid
> iris when  the chromosomes 
> falter and it can actually throw an unusual rhizome 
> increase that is 
> different from the mother rhizome.  He explained to
> me  that this can't occur with 
> tetraploids, because the chromosome makeup does not 
> support it.>>

Betty,

Somatic mutations, which is a spontaneous change in
(usually) one gene on a chromosome, occur in
tetraploids, as well as diploids. They seem to be
fairly common in color-breaking irises, such as the
ones bred by the Kaspereks. Brad and Kathie have
introduced some of these, such as GNU AGAIN, which was
a sport (=somatic mutation) of GNU.

I have had this happen in my garden on seedlings I
bred from Kasperek introductions. The initial mutation
usually occurs in a single cell, but then all cells
derived from continued division of that cell carry the
mutation as well. The initial result of a flower color
or pattern mutation is that when the rhizome in which
it occurred blooms one side of the same flower will
have the original color (pattern) and the other will
have the mutated color (pattern) - the technical name
for this is "Chimera". When the clump is divided, all
increase on the side of the original rhizome where the
mutation occurred will have only the mutated
characteristics, and all increase on the other side
will retain the original characteristics. Since genes
where these mutations occur seem to have an inherent
instability, it is likely that they will mutate
futher; most often back to the original form.
>  
><< There is a white 'Beverly Sills' so I'm not quite
> sure how this fits with  
> the diploid only theory!  It's just like BS in every
> way except  color.  It is a 
> sport.>>  
This sport was discovered by Jared Harris in a clump
of BEVERLY SILLS in Darlene Pinegar's garden in
Spanish Fork (UT). With her permission he took it,
propagted it, and introduced it as BEVERLY IN WHITE
(R. 1994, I. 1999). 


Jeff Walters
in northern Utah
(USDA Zone 4)
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