Abstract
Both biochemical and morphological characters were examined in 85 Japanese cultivars of taro (Colocasia esculenta ) to analyze the phylogenic relationships. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the tuber proteins revealed five patterns, designated as E, I, D, T, and A, for the major cultivars. Additional three patterns were found in the minor cultivars. Cluster analysis of taro cultivars based on 40 morphological characters was also performed. The results which were in agreement with those of the above-mentioned biochemical analyses, enabled to identlfy seven groups, i.e. Eguimo, Dodare (Dotare), Hasubaimo, Ishikawa-wase, Kurojiku, Akame, and Tonoimo groups, for the non-fasciculated taro cultivars, while two, Yatsugashira and Shogaimo groups for the fasciculated ones. The Yatsugashira group showed elec-trophoretic patterns common to the non-fasciculated Tonoimo group. Similarly the Shogaimo and Dodare groups exhibited a common electrophoretic pattern. The fasciculated cultivars are, therefore, assumed to be derivecl from the corresponding non-fasciculated cultivars by bud mutation. The Kurojiku group may be at the origin of the Ishikawa-wase group, since these two groups showed a common electrophoretlc pattern. The phylogenic and morphological relationships between the Hasubaimo and Dodare groups were also discussed.
