Characterization of thirteen date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars by enzyme electrophoresis using the PhastSystem

Summary The analysis of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) enzymatic polymorphism enabled us to establishsome reference ≪identity cards≫ for the cultivars studied. Thirteen cultivars and ten enzymatic systems were investigated. Isozyme separation was performed with the PhastSystem (Pharmacia, Uppsala), an automated electrophoresis unit, allowing the standardization of migration parameters. Various zymograms have been obtained for five of the ten enzymes studied, showing differences in isozyme number, band intensities, and relative mobility values. We have found six polymorphic loci, expressing thirteen different alleles. These variations are only caused by genetic differences among the cultivars, enabling us to assemble some of them and accurately distinguish nine (69 %) of the thirteen cultivars studied.