Genetic analysis among and within populations forming ecotypes and cultivars of lucerne, Medicago sativa (Leguminosae), using RAPD fragments

We conducted this study to determine whether the analysis of the population frequency of individual RAPD fragments amplified from DNA of single seedlings could be used to discriminate cultivars of lucerne and compare the relatedness of cultivars of differing geographic and genetic origin. Canonical discriminant analysis of RAPD banding data obtained from amplification of DNA from 40 seedlings of each of ten cultivars (six Iranian ecotypic cultivars, two cultivars from New Zealand and two from the USA) with one selected primer enabled discrimination of most cultivars (78% of pairwise comparisons at P < 0.01 among the ten cultivars examined in this study). Comparison of the Mahalanobis generalized distances among the cultivars produced results for genetic relatedness which were generally consistent with geographical origin and breeding relationships. Cultivar uniformity was assessed by determining the percentage of seedlings correctly classified into the named cultivar; this was variable among cultivars and the Iranian ecotypic cultivars had a particularly wide range of variability. Analysis of population genetics in lucerne using RAPD banding data may be useful for plant improvement, in descriptions of new cultivars and also when assessing cultivar purity in seed certification programmes.