LEAF ISOZYMES AS GENETIC MARKERS IN CITRUS

Abstract

The genetic control of isozymes from Citrus and its near relatives was determined for three gene/enzyme systems: glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, phosphoglucose isomerase and phosphoglucose mutase. These enzymes are controlled by four genes having 19 codominant alleles, 12 of which occur in Citrus subg Citrus . Formal genetic studies were carried out with F, biotypes and F 1 populations of known origin. When biotypes were grouped into traditionally recognized species to examine genetic affinities within and between species, a remarkable pattern of uniformity of genotype combinations was found within a species, and every species had an unique combination. Because many economically important cultivars produce asexual(nucellar) as well as sexual(zygotic) embryos, a central problem of the breeder is to distinguish these when plants are young, long before fruiting. Isozyme markers can be used with varying degrees of efficiency, depending on the genotypes of the particular parents, to distinguish nucellar seedlings from those of zygotic origin.