Comparison of the isozyme variation in tall fescue parents and their somaclones

Summary This study was conducted using the isozymes ACP-1, ADH-1, GOT-2, GOT-3, MDH, 6-PGD-1 and PGI-2 to: a) compare isozyme banding patterns of tall fescue somaclones with parents and b) correlate tissue culture-induced chromosome abnormalities with variant banding patterns. The 174 somaclones were grouped into seven categories based on their meiotic analyses and time of regeneration from culture. Differences in isozyme frequency between categories compared by chi-square tests were greatest for MDH, 6-PGD-1 and PGI-2, and least for ACP-1. The most significant differences in frequency were found between somaclones and parents. In comparisons of somaclone categories, the most different isozyme distributions were between the early vs. late regenerated somaclones. No significant differences in isozyme frequencies were found between all 42-chromosome somaclones vs. aneuploid somaclones and the three somaclone groups (42-normal, 42-abnormal, aneuploid) compared to each other. This study suggests that culture-induced isozyme variation alters the distribution of the isozyme phenotypes, but is not directly correlated with chromosome abnormalities.