Assessment of genetic variation in timothy (Phleum pratense L.) using RAPD and UP-PCR

High SSR diversity but little differentiation between accessions of Nordic timothy (Phleum pratense L.)

A large collection of genebank accessions of the hexaploid outcrossing forage grass species timothy (Phleum pratense L.) was for the first time analysed for SSR diversity on individual, population and regional level. Timothy is the most important forage grass species in the Nordic countries. Eighty-eight timothy accessions from Nordic countries and eight accessions around Europe were analysed with recently developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Timothy proved to be very polymorphic: the 13 selected SSRs amplified a total of 499 polymorphic alleles, the number of alleles per SSR locus varying from 15 to 74. Taking all SSR alleles together, the observed number in each accession ranged from 95 to 203. Levels of diversity were found to be significantly different between countries, vegetation zones and different cultivar types. However, the differentiation between accessions was low: most of the variation (94%) in the studied timothy material was due to variation within accessions and only 5% was between accessions and 1% between countries. Lack of geographical differentiation may reflect the outcrossing and hexaploid nature of timothy. Our results showed that neutral SSR markers are suitable for demonstrating levels of diversity but not alone adequate to resolve population structure in timothy. Nordic timothy material seems to be diverse enough for breeding purposes and no decline in the level of diversity was observed in varieties compared to wild timothy populations. Challenges in analysing SSR marker data in a hexaploid outcrosser were discussed.

Shoot differentiation, regeneration of cauliflower and analysis of somaclonal variation by RAPD

Our major goal in this study was to establish and characterize an efficient callus induction and shoot regeneration protocol for cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis). The effects of induction medium, growth regulator combination, organic component, AgNO(3), genotype and explants type on shoot differentiation on the cauliflower regeneration process were taken in account and hereby evaluated. The optimal media for shoot differentiation and rooting were modified MS medium (MS with PG-96 organic components) supplemented with NAA at 0.5 mg l(-1), TDZ at 0.25 mg l(-1), BA at 3.0 mg l(-1), AgNO(3) at 2.0 mg l(-1) and MS supplemented with IBA at 0.4 mg l(-1), respectively. Among the four varieties tested, Saixue gave the best shoot differentiation response (average over 18 shoots per explant) from the upper section of the hypocotyls. We have so far obtained over 500 regenerated plants under this improved protocol. We have further analyzed the somaclonal variation of regenerated plants at the DNA level by using the RAPD molecular markers. By PCR amplification, we were able to amplify 75 scoreable bands from 15 primers out of 40 arbitrary primers screened, where 35 of them were monomorphic and 40 polymorphic bands (53.3%) in four varieties studied. The absence of polymorphism among regenerated plants from the same variety indicated the conformity of the regeneration protocol.

Phylogenetic relationships among genotypes of worldwide collection of spring and winter ryes (Secale cereale L.) determined by RAPD-PCR markers

Genetic similarities among 20 spring and 22 winter accessions of agronomically different ryes from fourteen countries were estimated by employing random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques. Cluster analysis of genetic distance data showed that 42 genotypes were readily classifiable into two main groups: spring and winter groups. Within the spring group, cultivars fell into a North European and an American-Chinese group. Cultivars of winter rye fell into four groups: Northern European, Russian, American and Chinese lines. A UPGMA-dendrogram based on genetic distances of cultivars of rye within the winter and spring groups showed that the clusters corresponded well to their geographical locations. The results indicated that isolation has played an important role in the evolution of rye, and that temporal isolation has influenced the genetic diversity of rye more than geographical isolation. In this experiment, RAPD proved to be a rapid, reliable and practicable method of revealing polymorphisms in rye populations.