Genetic Diversity Analysis of Iranian Jujube Ecotypes (Ziziphus spp.) Using RAPD Molecular Marker

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a valuable medicinal plant which is important in Iranian traditional medicines. Although the regional plants such as jujube play an important role in our economy، but they are forgotten in research and technology. Considering the economic and medicinal importance of jujube، the first step in breeding programs is determination of the genetic diversity among the individuals. 34 ecotypes of jujube، which have been collected from eight provinces of Iran، were used in this study. The genetic relationships of Iranian jujube ecotypes were analyzed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. Six out of 15 random decamer primers applied for RAPD analysis، showed an informative polymorphism. According to clustering analysis using UPGMA''s methods، the ecotypes were classified into two major groups at the 0. 81 level of genetic similarity. The highest value of similarity coefficient (0. 92) was detected between Mazandaran and Golestan ecotypes and the most genetic diversity was observed in ecotypes of Khorasan-Jonoubi. The affinity of Khorasan-Jonoubi and Esfahan ecotypes indicated a possible common origin for the variation in these areas. Results indicated that RAPD analysis could be successfully used for the estimation of genetic diversity among Ziziphus ecotypes and it can be useful for further investigations.