ISOZYME VARIABILITY IN 4 DIPLOID STONE FRUITS COMPARED WITH OTHER WOODY PERENNIAL PLANTS

The level of isozyme variability at 12 loci in peach, apricot, almond, and plum was found to be related to their mating behavior and germ plasm base. The outcrossing speciesalmond and plumhad the highest amount of variability. The variability of the outcrossers was lower than that of apple, avocado, and camellia as well as that of gymnosperms but higher than the mean of 52 taxa of uncultivated perennial angiosperms. The higher diversity of the cultivated populations may be related to a wider geographic sampling, the interspecific makeup of certain domesticated species, selection, or a combination of life history factors. © 1990 The American Genetic Association.