Genetic diversity of different populations of Iranian Teucrium polium L. using RAPD markers

Genetic diversity of 6 populations of Teucrium polium L., collected from different locations of Iran, was evaluated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data. Total genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves of plants and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using 8 RAPD primers. Sixty eight bands were obtained of which, 61 bands (89.71%) were polymorphic. All amplified fragments in each sample were scored based on presence (1) or absence (0). Matrix of genetic similarity was calculated by Jaccard's similarity coefficient. Cluster analysis was carried out according to UPGMA algorithm using NTSYS-pc software. The genetic similarity between genotypes ranged from 0.33 to 0.58. Results showed the population Ramian had maximum difference with other populations and classified in a separate group. Maximum similarity was observed between populations Garmab and Maraveh-Tappeh. Our results showed an appropriate level of genetic diversity among the investigated populations. Moreover, our data indicated that the RAPD method is a suitable approach for assessing genetic diversity of T. polium populations with high accuracy.