ISOZYMES OF A RATTAN SPECIES AND THEIR GENETIC INTERPRETATION

A combination of a modified Feret' (Silvae Genet. 1971, 20, 46-50) ext raction buffer and two types of electrophoresis with acrylamide and st arch gels were used to characterize allozymes in mature vegetative tis sue of a commercially high value species of rattans (Calamus subinermi s). From the analysis of allelic segregation from single maternal ratt ans and their offspring,genetic control of the 16 observed banding zon es, which were consistently scorable, was assumed. Seventeen gene loci were identified. The percentage of polymorphic loci within Calamus su binermis was much higher (70.5%) than expected levels of genetic diver sity for tropical woody and non-woody species. It is thought that the protocol described may be applied to the analysis of the genetic diver sity of all the endangered Calamus species.