Identification of Australian barley cultivars by laboratory methods: gel electrophoresis and gel isoelectric focusing of the endosperm proteins

Abstract

A range of laboratory methods was examined for their ability to distinguish between 19 barley cultivars currently grown in Australia. Aleurone colour, revealed after mechanical or chemical dehulling, differentiated Abyssinian, Atlas, Cape and Corvette from the other cultivars. Peroxidase and phenol testing were not useful. Seven different patterns were obtained for the hordeins of lowest mobility by starch gel electrophoresis. Further distinction was provided by flat gel isoelectric focusing of the water-soluble and hordein proteins for which 13 different pattern-groupings were obtained. The two electrophoretic techniques complemented one another, so that the use of both methods left only a few cultivars that could not be distinguished.