Varietal identification of single seeds of barley by analysis of hordein polypeptides

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Abstract
Methods for the extraction and separation of hordein fractions from single or half‐seeds of barley have been evaluated. Sodium dodecylsulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.9 gave rapid and reproducible separations of reduced and alkylated hordein, and this system was used to analyse hordein fractions from 88 barley varieties. On the basis of this character the varieties can be divided into 29 groups, each containing between one and 25 varieties. The largest group can be further divided into four subgroups on the basis of minor hordein polypeptide differences revealed by a second electrophoretic system, urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 4.6. Of the samples of the varieties studied, all except five contained seed homogeneous with respect to hordein polypeptide pattern. It is concluded that analysis of hordein polypeptide patterns from single seeds is of great potential value, both for the commercial identification of grain samples and as an aid to existing techniques for the establishment of varietal distinctness.