Molecular typing of Pyrus based on RAPD markers

Molecular characterisation and phenetic similarities between several cultivars of P. communis and P. pyrifolia, and genotypes of P. cordata, P. bourgaeana and P. pyraster were investigated through RAPD markers. Sixty decamer primers were screened, generating polymorphic patterns of Occidental and Oriental pear genotypes. Twenty-two selected primers originated clear and reproducible patterns, produced a total of 358 bands, 327 of them polymorphic. For 10 of the 12 genotypes analysed it was possible to find genotype-specific RAPDs and fragment patterns which could be used for cultivar identification. The patterns distinguished between genotypes and their analysis established a first approach to phenetic classification within the Pyrus genus based on DNA markers, clustering the genotypes according to their geographic origin. RAPD analysis of in vitro and in vivo material of seven cultivars was also performed, resulting in identical patterns for each genotype. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.