Analysis of peonies cultivars and their parental forms using RAPD primers

Abstract

It is very important to select genetically and morphologically different individuals creating new, physiologically different peony cultivars. Genetic differences of morphologically similar species cannot be assessed only by comparing the external features. Investigated peonies varied morphologically by the height, type of blossom, shape and color, aromatic features, strength and number of stems, leaf density and color, flowering time and duration. Genetic differences between 13 different peony cultivars, which are growing in the Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University, were compared using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. 9 RAPD primers were chosen for a genetic analysis. The number of DNA fragments varied from 1 to 15, and their length from 100 to 1 800 base pairs (bp). Most of polymorphic DNA fragments were amplified with four chosen primers: MP-8, OPB-7, OPA-18 and OPB-8. A total number of different-sized DNA fragments ranged from 1 to 15, and their length ranged from 100 to 1 800 bp. The genetically most distant peony cultivars were 'Skeivienės vėlyvasis' and 'Garbė Motinai'. The genetically closest peony cultivars were 'General Mac Mahon' and 'Germaine Burgos'. The genetically closest cultivar to its parental forms was 'Freda', and the most distant cultivars were 'Darius–Girėnas' and 'Skeivienės vėlyvasis'.