Cultivar Identification of Japanese Persimmon by Leaf Isozymes

Leaf extracts of 163 Japanese persimmon cultivars ( Diospyros kaki L.) and six other Diospyros species were analyzed for isozyme variation of glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI, E C 5.3.1.9) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH, E C 1.1.1.37). With both systems, the bands were sharp and well-resolved, and intracultivar polymorphism was absent. Isozyme phenotypes were more varied with GPI than with MDH. With Japanese persimmons, GPI yielded 24 different banding patterns, and six cultivars were uniquely discriminated by this enzyme alone. MDH produced only three different banding patterns, with none of the cultivars discriminated. When both enzyme systems were taken together, 18 cultivars were uniquely discriminated and the rest could be classified into 22 groups of 2 to 18 cultivars each.