Abstract
Two lines of snapdragon, HAM2 and HAM5, have an identical allele, nivea(recurrens:Tam3), that causes flower variegation due to excision of transposon Tam3. The Tam3 copy is inserted 64 bp upstream of the transcription start site. Despite of the same allele, HAM2 gives a light crimson in the petal background, while HAM5 shows white petals. We crossed each of the two lines with 8 lines of snapdragon carrying different genetic backgrounds. In the F2 progenies of each of the crossed lines, we selected plants that showed novel variegation patterns. After successive selfing for five generations, we produced 38 stable lines possessing novel variegation features in the petals. The characteristics of these lines were observed in the number of the spot, the spot colour, the localization of the spot and the form of the variegation. These petal phenotypes clearly differed from those of HAM2 and HAM5. The facts suggest that transposition of the element at nivea(recurrens:Tam3) are differentially controlled by the host genetic factor(s), and modification of the variegation pattern is potentially feasible.