Peroxidase Activity in Seeds of Soybean Varieties¹

Abstract

Varieties of soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) were separated into two main groups on the basis of high or low peroxidase activity in the seed coat. Differences in peroxidase activity were detected following electrophoresis of extracts on polyacrylamide gel and by quantitative determinations. Seed‐coat extracts from the high level group exhibited more than 78 tunes the peroxidase activity of seed‐coat extracts of the low level group. A survey of peroxidase activity of soybean varieties was carried out by using a specially developed spot test. Pedigree relationships among the varieties indicated that high and low activity is highly heritable and that it is not a case of ‘extra‐nuclear’ maternal inheritance. Disc electrophoresis using suitable amounts of seedcoat extracts resulted in a major band of isoperoxidase which was common to both groups. Two minor bands of isoperoxidase were also identified in all high‐level varieties and in two of the five low‐level varieties tested. Between the two groups, isoperoxidases appeared to be qualitatively identical but quantitatively different.