GENETIC DIVERSITY OF CHRYSANTHEMUM PLANTS DERIVED VIA SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS USING RAPD MARKERS

The genetic diversity was investigated among two chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum Ramat./Kitam.) cultivars 'Lady Salmon' and 'Lady Vitroflora' and its 15 lines of plants derived from somatic embryos in using ten random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. All primers gave 108 bands with 1218 products from 148.65 to 4391.20 bp in size. The average number of bands per primer was 10.8. Most fragments (54; 50%) were polymorphic, 9 (0.8%) specific and others (45; 49.2%) were monomorphic. Cluster analysis grouped all the cultivars and their lines into two main clusters and two sub clusters. Most genetic diversity was characteristic for LS2 lines of plants derived via somatic embryogenesis from cultivar 'Lady Salmon'. All lines were different from each other and from the original cultivar propagated by meristematic explants. RAPD markers are a helpful tool to detect the genetic diversity of chrysanthemum plants derived via somatic embryogenesis (SE). Our result will provide useful information for production laboratory and for breeding programmes.