Red-purple flower due to delphinidin 3,5-diglucosides, a novel pigment for spp., generated by ion-beam irradiation

Kondo, Emiko*; Nakayama, Masayoshi*; Kameari, Naoko*; Tanikawa, Natsu*; Morita, Yasumasa*; Akita, Yusuke; Hase, Yoshihiro; Tanaka, Atsushi; Ishizaka, Hiroshi*

Fragrant cyclamen cultivar ( ), that bloomed purple flower containing malvidin 3,5-diglucoside as the major anthocyanin, was irradiated with a 320-MeV carbon-ion beam at 0-16 Gy to increase flower color variation by mutation. Some of the M2 plants derived from self-pollination of M1 plants irradiated at 2 Gy were flower-color mutants that retained desirable flower shape, flower size, and leaf color. One of the mutants bloomed novel red-purple flowers, the major anthocyanin of which was delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside. Because the major anthocyanins in flowers of spp. were previously restricted to malvidin, peonidin, and cyanidin types, the generation of a cyclamen containing mostly the delphinidin-type anthocyanin is an important breakthrough in cyclamen breeding. We expect this mutant to become not only a commercial cultivar itself, but also a valuable genetic resource for cyclamen breeding.