Esterase polymorphism and the analysis of genetic diversity and structure in cactus populations descended from Cereus peruvianus plants regenerated in vitro.

The genetic structure of Cereus peruvianus populations descended from cultivated plants (F(1) populations) and from plants regenerated in vitro (R(1) populations) was analyzed using α- and β-esterase isozymes in native PAGE. The estimated proportion of polymorphic loci was higher (50%) in the R(1) populations than the F(1) populations (42.85%). The mean observed (0.5599) and expected (0.5620) heterozygosity in R(1) descendents was also higher than the rates in F(1) descendents (H (o) = 0.4142; H (e) = 0.4977). A low level of population differentiation was detected in R(1) descendents (F (st) = 0.05). In contrast, population differentiation was high in F(1) descendents (0.2583). Esterase analysis using PAGE showed that artificial selection by silvicultural management provides high genetic diversity and a large genetic basis for C. peruvianus, whereas in vitro selection from callus tissue culture involves an increase of heterozygosity levels in descendents from somaclones and a low level of interpopulational divergence.