A Unique Phenotype in Heterozygotes of the Auxin-Insensitive Mutant of Tomato, diageotropica

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants heterozygous for the diageotropica (dgt) mutation exhibit a unique phenotype, termed ;mottled.' Unlike dgt, mottled individuals grow upright, exhibit normal root branching, and produce normal levels of ethylene in response to applied auxin. Leaves of mottled plants are deformed and reduced in size and are characterized by a mottled appearance on their surfaces with small dark-green islands clustered along the leaf veins. The lack of phenotypic overlap between dgt and mottled may represent interallelic interaction at a locus which influences auxin sensitivity or action in the tomato.