Isozyme characterisation of Vicia faba germplasm: genetic interpretation and applications

Eighteen isozyme systems were assayed to characterise 147 accessions of Vicia faba L. from different origins, including the 4 known botanical types (major, equina, minor, and paucijuga). The most polymorphic isozyme systems were aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), fructokinase (FK), phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), peroxidase (PRX), and super-oxide dismutase (SOD), which provide a discriminatory tool for evaluating and characterising collections. The study also detected possible contamination or some degree of heterozygosity within certain inbred lines. New alleles were detected for the isozyme systems AAT, aconitase (ACO), and PRX. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) system is described in V. faba. The use of allozymic variation in germplasm identification and characterisation, breeding programs, and other genetic studies on the species is discussed.