Assessment of the degree and the type of restriction fragment length polymorphism in barley (Hordeum vulgare)

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Abstract
In order to determine the extent of polymorphism in barley (Hordeum vulgare), DNA from 48 varieties was analyzed with 23 genomic, single-copy probes, distributed across all seven chromosomes. Upon hybridization to wheat-barley addition lines, the probes showed different degrees of homology compared to the wheat genome. Polymorphisms were detected in the barley genome at a frequency of 43% after digestion with EcoRI, BamHI, and HindIII. Subgroups of spring and winter barley and of two- and six-rowed types showed less diversity which, in most cases, was due to shifts in allelic frequencies. One probe (MWG1H504) hybridized to an EcoRI restriction fragment exclusively observed in winter barley. A comparison of six different restriction enzymes revealed clear differences with regard to their efficiency in detecting polymorphisms. The respective frequencies were between 13% (HindIII) and 37% (EcoRV). A significant correlation between the efficiency of a restriction enzyme and the mean fragment size detected by the different probes identified insertion/deletion events as the major factor causing polymorphism in barley.