GENETIC VARIATION OF MAIZE GENOTYPES (ZEA MAYS L.) DETECTED USING SDS-PAGE

The assessment of genetic diversity among the members of a species is of vital importance for successful breeding and adaptability. In the present study 20 old genotypes of maize from Hungary, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Slovak Republic were evaluated for the total seed storage proteins using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) through vertical slab unit. The number of total scorable protein bands was twentythree as a result of SDS-PAGE technique but those that were not cosistent in reproducibility and showed occasional variation in sharpness and density were not considered. Out of twentythree polypeptide bands, 6 (31%) were commonly present in all accessions and considered as monomorphic, while 17 (65%) showed variations and considered as polymorphic. On the basis of banding profiles of proteins of different kDa, gel was divided into zones A, B and C. The major protein bands were lied in zones A and B, while minor bands were present in zones C. In zone A out of 10 protein bands, 1 were monomorphic and 9 were polymorphic. In zone B out of 8 protein bands, 3 was monomorphic and 5 was polymorphic and in zone C out of 5 protein bands, 2 were monomorphic whereas 3 polymorphic. The dendrogram tree demonstrated the relationship among the forty registered old maize genotypes according to the similarity index, using UPGMA cluster analysis. The dendrogram was divided into three main clusters. The first cluster contained Czechoslovakia genotype Mikulická and the second cluster contained Czechoslovakia genotypes Celchovicka ADQ. Cluster 3 was divided into 3 subclasters. Similarly the present study of genetic variability in the seed storage polypeptide determined by SDS-PAGE technique proved that it is fruitful to identify genetic diversity among accessions of maize.