Diversity of peroxidase isozyme for identification and characterization of Saccharum species clones

Peroxidase isozyme pattern was resolved in genus Saccharum to explore the possibility of using it for taxonomic inferences. A total of 12 isozymes designated as POX 1 to POX 12 were present in the clones belonging to four species of Saccharum (S. officinarum, S. spontaneum, S. barberi and S. sinense). The Rf values of different isozyme bands ranged from 0.13–0.63. Only POX 1 and POX 6 were present in all the species clones. Maximum polymorphism of POX isozymes was observed in S. officinarum. Electrophoretic spectra of peroxidase isoenzyme in these species clones exhibited both homology and diversity in their banding pattern. The polymorphism of peroxidases in number, position and intensity revealed in the study indicated multimeric isozymic profile for peroxidase which could be defined as a valuable means for distinguishing accessions of Saccharum to exploit the genetic diversity of sugarcane.