Paris, H.S., Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya 'ar Research Center, P.O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30-095, Israel

The l-2 (light coloration-2) locus in Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin, squash, gourd) has a major effect on fruit color intensity through its complementary interactions with at least three other loci. From a sixth-generation backcross progeny of which a wild gourd having striped fruits was the donor parent and a cultigen having 'plain light'-colored fruits (genotype l-2/l-2) was the recurrent parent, a true-breeding line was isolated that had a fruit color phenotype that differed from both parents. The fruits of this line were not striped and had a color pattern resembling 'light type 2' (genotype L-2/-), but of weaker expression. This newly established line was then crossed with near-isogenic lines of genotypes l-2/l-2 and L-2/L-2 and the resulting filial and backcross progenies were observed under field conditions. The results indicated that the new phenotype is recessive to 'light type 2' but dominant to 'plain light' and that it is conferred by a single gene. The results of a testcross for allelism indicated that this gene is an allele at the l-2 locus and it is herein designated L-2w. Dominance relationships at the l-2 locus are L-2 > L-2w > l-2.