Inheritance of needle tissue isozymes in Douglas-fir

Abstract

Methods of resolving electrophoretic variants from extracts of needle tissue of coastal Douglas-fir (P. m. var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) are described, and the inheritance of 12 of least 15 loci that control allozymes from 11 enzyme systems are established. Evidence for the inheritance of allozyme variants was obtained in 3 ways: comparison in seed orchard clones of allozyme genotypes determined from both megagametophyte and needle tissue; analysis of segregating full-sib progenies of seed orchard clones; and comparison of needle allozyme pattern phenotypes to previously reported embryo phenotypes. Ten of the 12 loci (coding phosphoglucomutase, PGM(1) and PGM(2); glycerate dehydrogenase, GLYDH; phosphoglucose isomerase, PGI(2); glutamate dehydrogenase, GDH; glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G-6PD; 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, 6-PGD(1); isocitrate dehydrogenase, IDH; diaphorase, DIA(2); malate dehydrogenase, MDH(1)) produce clear bands in seed tissue; however, glutamate oxalacetate transaminase GOT(3) (N) was not found in seeds and shikimic dehydrogenase (SDH) could only be clearly resolved in needles (N). Several enzymes active in seed tissue could not be detected in needle tissues.