Investigations of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) genetic diversity by molecular methods

Abstract

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) is grown all over the world, and in Lithuania its plots are expanding every year. It is used for oil, feed, fuel, etc. Genetic variability of oilseed rape in Lithuania was analysed employing RAPD molecular markers. Three different random Lithuanian regions in Kėdainiai, Vilkaviškis and Jurbarkas were selected for collecting oilseed rape leaf samples. ‘Baldur’ (A) leaves were collected in the Kėdainiai region, ‘Olano’ (O) in the Vilkaviškis region and ‘SW Pastell’ (P), ‘Remy’ (R), ‘Banjo’ (B) in the Jurbarkas region. Nine primers were screened for their ability to produce polymorphic patterns. Eight primers which gave reproducible and distinct amplification products were selected for evaluation of diversity in five oilseed rape cultivars. The test primers generated different polymorphic fragments ranging from 1 to 10 per reaction, with an average of 6.75 bands per primer – in total 54 polymorphic amplification products in the range of 250–1750 bp. Dendrograms based on UPGMA cluster analysis confirmed the suitability of all the primers for the further analysis and showed a significant genetic variation among individuals of different cultivars. Keywords: oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), PCR, RAPD method, genetic polymorphism