CHEMOTAXONOMICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF PRUNUS-DOMESTICA BY ISOENZYME MARKERS AND PHENOLIC-COMPOUNDS

Phenolic compounds and isoenzyme patterns of 12 cultivars of Prunus domestica, grown at two different locations in Germany were analysed. The compounds were extracted from the inner bark (phloem) of 1-year-old shoots. Phenols were separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), proteins and isoenzymes by isoelectric focusing. The genetic relationship among these cultivars was studied by biochemical markers and compared with the systematical classification, as described by Hegi and Roder, based on morphological characters. Generally, biochemical data favour Hegi's classification. Nevertheless, the introduction of a new subspecies, as proposed by Roder, seems to be justified. It should be situated between ssp. italica and ssp. oeconomica, for there are some cultivars which do not fit in either of these subspecies. A revised systematic, according to isoenzyme and phenolic markers, is described.