Detection of DNA Polymorphism in Landrace Populations of Safflower in Iran Using RAPD‑PCR Technique

 B. YAZDI-SAMADI, R.MAALI AMIRI, M.R. GHANNADHA, C. ABD‑MISHANI

Abstract

The RAPD technique was used to detect genetic diversity of 28 safflower genotypes including Iranian landraces, wild and several exotic genotypes. One hundred random decamer primers were used in amplification reactions. Eleven of the primers produced polymorphic bands and 283 RAPD markers were found. Amplified DNA fragments ranged in size from 300 to 2400 bp. Jaccard's similarity coefficient and Euclidean distances were used to produce a cluster diagram by means of the unweighed pair‑group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Cluster analysis divided the genotypes into 5 clusters, using Jaccard's similarity cofficient. Clusters consisted of exotic genotypes, Iranian landraces, wild genotypes, winter and Sarband types. To confirm the obtained phenogram, cluster analysis was used based on Euclidean distance method and the UPGMA algorithm. It was found that distant matrices based on Jaccard’s similarity and Euclidean distance produced similar results. In both cases, no relationship was found between genetic and geographical diversity. The clusters based on RAPD markers correlated fairly well with classification scheme based on morphological traits. In clusters, produced by both techniques, some landraces and exotic genotypes are classified together within one group. The approach used holds promise for the classification of safflower germplasm, identification of safflower landraces and its wild relatives and applications of molecular markers in safflower breeding programs. It is suggested that RAPD markers are useful to characterize safflower diversity at the DNA level.

 Key words: Safflower, DNA, PCR, RAPD