TAXONOMIC STUDY OF PERSIMMON (DIOSPYROS-K AKI L) BY ENZYME POLYMORPHISMS - DIFFERENTIATION OF PERSIMMON CULTIVARS BY 3 EFFECTIVE ENZYMES OFCAMBIAL TISSUE

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed to observe the variab ilities of six enzyme systems in 28 cultivars of Diospyros kaki L. by using their cambial tissues and/or leaf extracts. Monthly observations from June to November showed almost identical banding patterns of est erase (Est), peroxidase (Per) and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) in cambiums, whereas leaves had variable banding patterns. No va riations among individual trees belonging to the same cultivar were ob served except for leaf Per. Est was the most effective enzyme system f or cultivar identification followed by GOT and Per. These effective is ozymes of cambium exhibitied 13 to 19 different banding patterns in 28 cultivars identifying 19 cultivars uniquely. The cultivars of the pol lination-variant and non-astringent group (PVNA) showed relatively gre ater similarity index (S. I.) values. Other isozymes, alcohol dehydrog enase, malate dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase were ineffective as m arkers because of their poor or no enzyme activities.