ISOZYME DIVERSITY IN INDIAN PRIMITIVE MAIZE LANDRACES

Polymorphism for peroxidase, esterase and acid phosphatase Isozymes in pollen grains of major Indian maize landraces known as 'Sikkim primit ives' were studied;md compared with primitive races of maize of Mexica n origin and five species of teosinte, Coix lacryma-jobi, Chionachne k oenigii and Sorghum bicolor. The isozyme patterns and the resulting de ndrograms revealed similarities in primitive Indian maize landraces fr om Northeastern Himalayan region and Nal-Tel an ancient Indigenous rac e of Mexico. Further, the Asiatic taxa of Maydeae, C. lacryma-jobi and Ch. koenigii differed widely from each other and also from the Zea sp p. Presence of greater diversity among the Indian maize collections wa s also evident from the present analysis.