Assessment of Genetic Relationships between Hazelnut Cultivars Using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Markers

The objectives of this study were to assess the genetic variability between six hazelnut cultivars which grow in Poland using RAPD markers. DNA was extracted by Milligan's method from fresh leaves. Amplificated PCR products were separated on 1.5% agarose gel, visualized and photographed. 30 decamer primers were selected from 80 primers. These primers yielded a total of 243 bands, of which 146 were polymorphic. The total number of amplification products ranged from 2 to 12, with an average of 8.1 bands per primer. 21 primers amplified 31 unique bands for specific genotypes. Genetic pairwise similarities between studied genotypes were evaluated according to the Dice's formula. Cluster analyses were performed using the UPGMA method. The phylogenetic tree showed that only three cultivars clustered together. The rest of them were located on the outskirts of the dendrogram. This research showed that hazelnut cultivars in Poland are genetically diverse. The RAPD technique is a useful tool for the evaluation of genetic relationships between hazelnut cultivars.