Use of Seed Protein Profiles to Characterize Peanut Cultivars1

Abstract In the last 10 to 15 yr, the development of biotechnology and molecular techniques has allowed great advancements toward the identification of cultivars among plant species. In legumes, the success of cultivar identification depends on the species under investigation, the type and variability of genetic material found in cultivars, and the technology used for investigations. In this study, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to assess diversity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seed protein profiles. The objectives of this investigation were a) to assess diversity of protein profiles in peanuts for cultivar identification using SDS-PAGE and b) to determine the extent of variability of seed storage proteins (SSP) among samples of cultivars originating from different locations. The first study included 34 cultivars grown at Lewiston, NC and the second one included nine cultivars grown at six locations. The results of both studies indicated that it is possible to differentiate between subspecies but not to associate a particular profile with only one specific cultivar. Within subspecies, cultivars clustered in more than one group and most cultivars that grouped together were genetically related.