Inheritance and linkage relationships of 13 enzyme systems were investigated by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis in endosperms, embryos, buds and needles of Abies alba Mill. A minimum of 26 loci were found to code for isozymes. The segregation data of allozymes in endosperms (megagametophytes) of heterozygous mother trees revealed simple Mendelian inheritance for these enzymes. No variation was found at 6 loci; at the remaining 20 variable loci 2 to 6 alleles were identified.
Two loci segregation data were available for 41 of 190 possible pairwise combinations of 20 polymorphic loci. Evidence of linkage was observed only for the pair Idh-B:Ap-B. With 37 % recombination the linkage was only moderate and homogenous over the tested trees. The zymogram patterns and number of controlling loci identified in A. alba were compared with those of other Abies species. Great similarity was observed.