Allozyme Variation in Turkmenian Populations of Wild Barley, Hordeum spontaneum Koch.

The extent and structure of genetic variation in 720 individualsrepresenting 36 populations of wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum,from Central Asia (Turkmenistan) were determined using starchgel electrophoresis of eight water soluble leaf proteins encodedby 13 loci. The populations were grouped into seven ecogeographicregions. The study found: (a) a similar amount of within populationgenetic diversity (H_e = 0.106), but lower total genetic diversity(H_T = 0.166) to that reported for Middle East populations ofH. spontaneum; (b) of the total genetic diversity, 61% was attributableto variation within populations, 27% between populations ofa region, and 12% among regions; (c) of the 42 alleles found,11 were ubiquitous, 22 were widespread and common, three localand common and seven local and rare; (d) there was a poor correlationbetween population genetic and geographic distances; and (e)the frequencies of only a few alleles correlated significantlywith climatic or geographic parameters. The extent and structureof genetic variation of Turkmenian populations, which representthe Central Asian part of the species' range, were significantlydifferent in some important aspects from Middle Eastern andeastern Mediterranean populations. The mosaic pattern of geneticvariation found in wild barley in the Middle East is less pronouncedin populations from Central Asia where there is less geneticdifferentiation among populations and regions, and more ubiquitousor common and fewer localized alleles. Copyright 2001 Annalsof Botany Company Allozyme, Central Asia, genetic diversity, Hordeum spontaneum, wild barley