maize mutant phenotypes

Small Plant Chimera Leaf section of Smp*-N2478 M1 origin plant, showing half-leaf chimera of slower growing mutant tissue on right, and subsequent distortion in leaf form (photo courtesy R. Bird)

Small Plant Chimera Leaf axil of Smp*-N2478/+heterozygous chimeral M1 origin plant, showing half-plant chimera expressed as slower-growing tissue (right) by asymmetrical placement of paired auricles, resulting from EMS-induced mutation in one DNA strand in the sperm nucleus of a single treated pollen grain. Such a mutant would not have been recognized as such because of natural variations among individual plants in a population. (photo courtesy R. Bird)