The use of seed acid phosphatases in the determination of the purity of F1 hybrid brussels sprout seed

Summary Starch gel electrophoresis of single seeds of five different F₁ hybrids of Brussels sprouts showed that they possessed three cathodal acid phosphatases. By comparison with cathodal acid phosphatases present in their inbred parents these have been interpreted as the two parental types plus a hybrid enzyme. All of the parental material could be classified into two groups depending upon whether or not their cathodal acid phosphatase was fast or slow moving. It was shown that these acid phosphatases are suitable for the determination of sibs in F₁ hybrid sprout seed provided that one of the parents possesses the slow moving cathodal acid phosphatase and the other the fast moving one. A survey of 35 different F₁ hybrids showed that 18 could be analysed for sibs using this method, those which could not were assumed to have had parents who possessed cathodal acid phosphatases of the same mobilities.