Assessment of the degree and the type of restriction fragment length polymorphism in barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Summary In order to determine the extent of polymorphism in barley (Hordeum vulgare), DNA from 48 varieties was analyzed with 23 genomic, single-copy probes, distributed across all seven chromosomes. Upon hybridization to wheat-barley addition lines, the probes showed different degrees of homology compared to the wheat genome. Polymorphisms were detected in the barley genome at a frequency of 43% after digestion with EcoRI, BamHI, and HindIII. Subgroups of spring and winter barley and of two- and six-rowed types showed less diversity which, in most cases, was due to shifts in allelic frequencies. One probe (MWG1H504) hybridized to an EcoRI restriction fragment exclusively observed in winter barley. A comparison of six different restriction enzymes revealed clear differences with regard to their efficiency in detecting polymorphisms. The respective frequencies were between 13% (HindIII) and 37% (EcoRV). A significant correlation between the efficiency of a restriction enzyme and the mean fragment size detected by the different probes identified insertion/deletion events as the major factor causing polymorphism in barley.