PURPOSE:To enable the early and easy determination of the sex of a dioecious plant in seed proliferation, by determining the peroxidase activity or esterase activity of the plant. CONSTITUTION:The juice collected from the leaf of the plant to be examined is subjected to the electrophoretic treatment to effect the development of the enzymes of the juice. The enzymes are dyed with a specific reagent, and the sex of the plant is judged according to the pattern of the isozyme. Substances having electrical charge, e.g. enzymes, etc. migrate toward the cathode or anode under electrical field by electrophoresis. As a result of the difference of the electrophoretic behavior of isozymes of male and female plants, it has been found that peroxidase or esterase gives different patterns between the sexes independent of the stage of growing, i.e. grown plant or seedling stage. The sex of the plant can be determined by the pattern. Since the sex of the plant can be determined by this process only by collecting a piece of leaf, the seed proliferation which cannot hitherto be used can be carried out thereby.
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