Seed protein electrophoresis for varietal identification of rice

Tris-HCl buffer soluble seed storage proteins from ten rice varieties were analysed using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electropheresis (SDS-PAGE) on 12% gels. The resultant banding patterns revealed moderate degree of polymorphism but enabled identification of all varieties on the basis of presence or absence of bands confirming the distinguishing power of this procedure for varietal identification of rice. The percentage similarities between all possible pairs of varieties were calculated and varied between 38.4 to 92.8 percent. The possible application of protein markers for DUS (distinctness, uniformity and stability) testing for the grant of the plant variety protection is discussed.