Genetic analysis of shikimate dehydrogenase allozymes in Trifolium repens L.

 A genetic analysis was carried out on progeny families from pair crosses among plants polymorphic for shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH) isozymes in white clover (Trifolium repens L.). SDH was controlled by two independently assorting disomic loci. This result is consistent with the presence of a single gene (Sdh) represented in this putative allotetraploid by one locus in each of the genomes. One of the Sdh loci is linked (6.0±2.0 cM) to the linamarase (Li) locus. There was no evidence for differentiation of the duplicate Sdh loci (both carry common alleles). White clover behaves genetically as a diploidised allotetraploid but the possibility of a low frequency of multivalent formation and homoeologous pairing has not been ruled out. The SDH locus is likely to be useful for the marker-assisted selection of agronomic traits. Received: 5 June 1997 / Accepted: 19 November 1997