8. Classification of Myanmar rice germplasm based on isozyme polymorphism

A. M. SHATTA¹, B. G. delos REYES², D. S. BRAR² and G. S. Khush²

1) Rice Research and Training Centre, Sakha, Kafer El-Sheikh, Egypt

2) International Rice Research Institute, Manila, Philippines

Isozyme polymoprhism has been of great value in varietal classification of rice germplasm. Such classification provides useful to breeders for transfer of desirable traits through hybridization among and between groups. Glaszmann (1987a) surveyed the allelic constitution at 15 polymorphic loci and classified 1688 traditional rices from Asia into six varietal groups. Rice germplasm from Myanmar has not been previously classified into such varietal groups. We analyzed isozyme patterns of 1582 rice cultivars from Myanmar. Based on Glaszmann's classification (1987b) 1359 varieties (85.9%) belonged to group 1, 54 (3.4%) to group V, 25 (1.6%) to group VI, 17 (1.1%) to group 11 while 127

Table 1.  Isozyme classification of Myanmar rice germplasm
===============================================================================
                          Group
Varieties  ================================== Total
             0    I   II  III   IV   V   VI
===============================================================================
Number     127  1359  17  0      0   54  25   1582
===============================================================================

varieties (8.0%) did not fall into any group (Group 0). Majority (85.9%) of the rice germplasm from Myanmar belonged to indica rices. Group III and IV were not represented. It is interesting to note that 8% of the rice germplasm from Myanmar could not be classified into any group. Such germplasm is indicative of hybridization among different varietal groups.

References

Glaszmann, J.C., 1987a. Isozymes and classification of Asian rice varieties. Theor. Appl. Genet. 74: 21-30.

Glaszmann, J.C., 1987b. A simplified method to classify rice varieties with isozymes. Int. Rice Res. Newsl. 12(3): 5-7.