In Brazil, the methods traditionally used for cultivar identification are morphologic traits from seed, seedling or plant. The methods using electrophoresis allows cultivar identification using less time and resources. The objectives of this study was to define the electrophoretic pattern of wheat cultivars in Southern Brazil, as well as to verify intra-cultivar variation. Four electrophoresis systems were used in polyacrylamide gels. Two were used for total protein (APAGE and SDS-PAGE) and two for the enzymatic systems of esterase and peroxidase. The APAGE allowed to characterize individually the cultivars BR 18, BR 35, CEP 24, CEP 27, EMBRAPA 15, EMBRAPA 40, IAPAR 17, IAPAR 29, OCEPAR 16, OCEPAR 21, RS 01 and RS 08 and put the others in to three groups: group 1: BR 38 and EMBRAPA 52; group 2: EMBRAPA 16, EMBRAPA 24 and EMBRAPA 49; group 3: BR 23, BR 32 and IAPAR 28. With the utilization of SDS-PAGE and esterase it was possible to individualize the cultivars of the three groups. Intra-cultivar variation were not detected using APAGE. However, EMBRAPA 16 showed variation in SDS-PAGE. Using esterase, intra-cultivar variation was detected in BR 38 and EMBRAPA 15; for peroxidase intra-cultivar variation was detected in BR 23, CEP24, CEP 27, EMBRAPA 15, EMBRAPA 40 and IAPAR 17. The results showed that it is possible to identify wheat cultivars by electrophoresis, since the different systems are combined.
Triticum aestivum; characterization; electrophoresis
