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Abstract
The number and distribution of red pigmented cells in epidermal and hypodermal layers of fruit skin of the apple cultivar Gala (Malus pumila Mill.) and 25 of its sports was studied using transverse sections made from highly coloured areas of fruits from each selection. Most of the red colour was situated in the hypodermis of every selection, with only a small proportion situated in the epidermis. No selection had significantly more or less colour in the epidermis than standard Gala. However, 4 of the selections had significantly more colour in the hypodermis, which is derived from the second layer of the apical meristem - the LII layer. As the gametes also arise from the LII layer, changes in the characteristics of the hypodermis could be heritable. Therefore the selections with more red colour in the hypodermis than Gala might produce progeny with more highly coloured fruit.
