Genetic relationships among some Pinus, Picea and Abies species revealed by RAPD markers

Abstract

Studies were undertaken to identify genetic relationships among ten different species of the family Pinaceae through randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Eighteen arbitrary RAPD primers produced 123 fragments of which 107 were polymorphic (87%). The similarity coefficient values varied from 0.34 to 0.67. The highest similarity coefficient was detected between Pinus wallichiana and P. strobus as well as between Picea abies and P. orientalis, and the lowest was detected between three Pinus species (P. heldreichii, P. peuce and P. wallichiana) and Picea omorika. The analysis of RAPD markers confirmed the genetic relationships among species. Genus Picea is clearly separated from genus Pinus and is closer to genus Abies (A. concolor) than to genus Pinus, what confirms up-to-date numerous comparativemorphological, anatomical, chemotaxonomic and molecular results of these closely related genera. Furthermore, on the basis of our results, pine species from different subgenera-Pinus and Strobus are clearly separated. This statement is in agreement with contemporary intrageneric classification of the genus Pinus.