Mating system and genetic polymorphism in populations of Secale cereale and S. vavilovii
Electrophoretic banding patterns were determined for nine enzyme systems (IPO, PGM, PGI, LAP, GOT, EST, PHOS, MDH, CPX) in four populations of Secale cereale L. from widely different geographical areas, and in one population of S. vavilovii Grossh. Secale cereale was found to be extensively variable and S. vavilovii invariant for these enzyme systems. Formal genetic studies of nine polymorphic banding zones in S. cereale revealed that each zone was under single locus control. Mating system studies based on these loci indicated that 8% of self-fertilization occurred under field conditions in a population of S. cereale, a species with a highly developed self-incompatibility system. Each population was characterized by fewer heterozygotes than expected in random mating populations. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were nearly identical in four populations of S. cereale, despite their diverse origins and different cytological characteristics.Key words: mating system, Secale, rye, isozyme polymorphism.