Purple carrots (Daucus carota L.) are becoming increasingly popular as a fresh market novelty food and as sources of natural pigments in foods and beverages. Anthocyanins are associated with many health benefits, such as reduced cardiovascular disease risk, fewer types of cancers, and reduced inflammation. Increasing anthocyanin content in purple carrots is therefore worthwhile for plant breeders and consumers. An interesting trait in carrots is heavy pubescence in the highest anthocyanin-producing breeding lines. Pubescence has been shown to be linked to anthocyanin content and abiotic stress resistance in other plant species. An F2 mapping population was created between two purple breeding lines developed from two separate Turkish accessions. The population contrasted in the level of pubescence and anthocyanin content in petioles and roots. Anthocyanin content was determined in the taproots and the level of pubescence was scored visually and through image analysis. Pubescence mapped to two loci that may be related with transcriptional regulation of trichome density and length. Anthocyanin content appears to be inhibited by a single locus that is unlinked with pubescence in this population. Epigenetic silencing was also observed in the purple carrot population and has implications on the development of high anthocyanin content varieties. Information from this study will provide genetic markers for increasing anthocyanin content in purple carrot breeding populations and developing pubescent varieties with abiotic stress resistances.
