Small-fruit mutant of 'hiratane-nashi' persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.)

Fruit size is one of the most important traits that affect the economic value of fruit. Although fruit size is controlled by both environmental and genetic factors, the latter have more impact, because small genetic changes dramatically affect the fruit size. In persimmon, somatic and bud-sport mutations that affect the fruit traits are often observed. Recently, a small-fruit mutant, 'Totsutanenashi', was discovered in Masaharu Kondo's orchard in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, as a bud-sport mutant of the leading cultivar 'Hiratane-nashi'. We have been comparing various aspects of 'Totsutanenashi' and its parent 'Hiratane-nashi' to characterize 'Totsutanenashi' and to elucidate the genetic and molecular basis of fruit size control in persimmon. Furthermore, we explore the possibility of utilizing 'Totsutanenashi' as a new small-fruit persimmon cultivar to meet a recent Japanese market demand for small fruit. In this report, we summarize vegetative and regenerative traits of 'Totsutanenashi' and discuss possible usages of 'Totsutanenashi'.