Genetics of grain amaranths. II. The inheritance of determinance, panicle orientation, dwarfism, and embryo color in Amaranthus caudatus

The genetic control of four developmental characters was studied in Amaranthus caudatus L. Determinant panicle growth was determined by one recessive gene. Two major genes governed panicle orientation, with erect panicles incompletely dominant to drooping panicles. Additional modifier genes appeared to alter expression of panicle orientation. A single recessive gene determined dwarfism. Pleiotropy or tight linkage was responsible for abnormal growth of dwarf plants. Pink embryo color was under the control of two complementary epistatic genes with one locus determining the presence or absence of red betalain pigment and the other locus regulating the expression of pigment in developing embryos.