Identification of Genetic Diversity Among Cultivars of Phyllostachys violascens Using ISSR, SRAP and AFLP Markers

Bamboo is one of the most important forest resources with a strong carbon fixation capability. To utilize genetic resource of Phyllostachys violascens, ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat), SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism), and AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) techniques were used for the first time for the assessment of genetic diversity within its different cultivars. A total of 209 (136 polymorphic), 222 (152 polymorphic), and 434 (253 polymorphic) bands were detected using 15 ISSR primers, 15 primer combinations of SRAP, and 15 primer combinations of AFLP, respectively. The mean genetic similarity of Ph. violascens was 0.872, 0.867 or 0.871 for the ISSR, SRAP and AFLP analyses, respectively. Based on genetic diversity, all the cultivars of Ph. violascens could be divided into four groups, which are reflected by their morphologies. Our data demonstrated that all three methods are useful in the identification of genetic diversity in Ph.violascens, but AFLP is the most efficient.