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Abstract
I should like to discuss how two very different organizations can get together for their common good. This is a problem which is not entirely new. John Ruskin, the great 19th century essayist, infuriated Asa Gray, an equally great 19th century botanist, when he said that botanists are blind and stupid in maintaining that the purpose of a flower is the production of seed. “No such thing,” retorted Ruskin, “the purpose of a seed is the production of a flower.”
The genus Rhododendron is widely distributed and diverse, consisting of over 900 species. Although this diversity has been exploited by hybridizers for over 100 years, few single gene traits have been genetically characterized. In order to develop genetic markers useful for biological, breeding, and commercial applications, we are investigating allelic variability and mode of inheritance at enzyme loci using starch gel electrophoresis. Thus far, allozyme segregation data at 4 enzyme loci (Pgi-2, Idh-1, 6Pgd-2, Est-1) fit the Mendelian model for single gene inheritance at the diploid level. An additional 4 polymorphic loci are presently being characterized: Pgm-2, Mdh-1, Mdh-2, and 6Pgd-1. Disomic inheritance appears to be consistent across a wide array of genetic backgrounds in these crosses, most involving parents with interspecific pedigrees. Variability at these loci is fairly abundant within the Leach breeding population. This should enable us, as an initial application, to genetically `ID' many of the Leach hybrids on the basis of their electrophoretic phenotypes.