Identifying genotypic heterogeneity in 'McFarlin' cranberry: A randomly-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and phenotypic analysis

Highly variable productivity among Vaccinium macrocarpon (Ait.) Pursh 'McFarlin' bogs in Washington has been noted by growers. The fruiting habits of 12 Washington 'McFarlin' bogs, ranging from 5.7-28.4 t/ha productivity were characterized. Uprights from each bog were characterized using RAPD markers, and then used in a greenhouse pollination experiment to determine if variation in fruiting and fertility phenotypes could be associated with RAPD profiles. Fifteen RAPD profiles mere identified, and genetic heterogeneity was high among the 12 bogs. An association between RAPD profiles and reproduction characteristics was observed. The most frequent (30%) RAPD profile appeared to represent the 'true' 'McFarlin', since it was abundant in higher-yielding bogs and its profile was identical to 'McFarlin' samples from other growing regions. A unique RAPD profile was also identified which exhibited high yield characteristics, but did not appear to be related to 'McFarlin'. The Washington 'McFarlin' bogs examined are composed of a diverse array of genotypes with variable fruiting phenotypes, indicating the variability in production has a genetic component.