Identification and characterization of a quantitative trait locus of B-carotene in the Solanum penellii introgression line IL2-2

Synthesized in the plastid, carotenoids are crucial actors in photosynthesis as antioxidants, fighting photo-oxidative damage. Tomatoes primarily contain the red-pigmented lycopene, which is a pre-cursor to b-carotene (provitamin A) and a-carotene. This summer, I sought to both identify and characterize a b-carotene regulating QTL in the S. pennellii line IL2-2.