Genetic analysis of phosphoglucoisomerase isozymes in cultivated and wild species of section Cepa in Allium

Phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) was studied to establish the genetic system of the isozymes in section Cepa of Allium. The results of isozyme analyses using 15 cultivars and clones in two cultivated species A. fistulosum and A. cepa, eight strains in four wild species A. altaicum, A. galanthum, A. oschaninii and A. vavilovii and a total of 10 hybrids between A. fistulosum and A. cepa and between the cultivated and wild species revealed that: I) PGI was a dimeric enzyme; 2) the two cultivated and four wild species had a common gene locus Pgi-1 where six alleles were identified; and 3) A. fistulosum had Pgi-1(F-1) and Pgi-1(F-2), A. cepa had Pgi-1(A-1) and Pgi-1(A-2), A. altaicum had Pgi-1(F-1), A. galanthum and A. vavilovii had Pgi-1(A-1), and A. oschaninii had Pgi-1(A-1), Pgi-1(O-1) and Pgi-1(O-2) The intra- and inter-specific polymorphisms of PGI isozymes are expected to be valuable tools for the genetics and practical utilization of the wild species in section Cepa.