A research team from CRAG and IRTA located the gene responsible for the plums' purple skin
The tonality of plums is defined by the presence and accumulation of the antioxidant pigment anthocyanin. The synthesis of this compound is regulated by the MYB10 genes. Now, a research team from the Center for Research in Agrigenomics (CRAG) and the Institute for Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) has found the gene that determines the skin color of the Japanese plum. In a study published in the scientific journal
Frontiers in Plant Science, the researchers stated that the plum genome contains multiple copies of the MYB10 genes and that DNA variations in one of these copies cause plums to have anthocyanins in their skin (which means they would have a color that ranges from blue to red) or not (which means they would be yellow or green).