J. Ramamoorthy et al., COMPARATIVE-ASSESSMENT OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN WILD AND CULTIVATED BARLEY USING RIBOSOMAL DNA SPACER LENGTH VARIANTS, Israel journal of plant sciences, 42(2), 1994, pp. 115-123
Ribosomal DNA spacer length variants (slv) were used to compare the ge
netic diversity between Hordeum spontaneum, the supposed progenitor of
cultivated barley, and landraces of barley, H. vulgare, collected fro
m three countries in the eastern Mediterranean region. A total of six
rDNA slv and six slv phenotypes were observed. All six slv and phenoty
pes were found in both species. Nei's heterozygosity index was higher
for landraces in all three countries. Landraces possessed slightly hig
her diversity than H. spontaneum. Slv phenotype 1 (112, 104) was the m
ost predominant type in both species, and the frequency distributions
for the two species were similar. This suggests that H. vulgare and H.
spontaneum belong to the same polymorphic species. Furthermore, H. sp
ontaneum seen today in the eastern Mediterranean region might have bee
n derived from an extinct two-rowed ancestor.