Investigating the genetic diversity of some kinds of the Iranian olive using RAPD markers

The agronomic types of the Iranian olives, which are distributed under a similar name, have different varieties. The molecular diversity of 46 olive tree samples of 10 cultivars (derived from two main olive cultivars, i.e. Rowghani and Gelooleh) was investigated in the initial phase of the present study using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with 20 markers. The study was carried out at the National Research Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NRCGEB). 53.1% of the marker were polymorphic. The obtained results were analyzed using NTSYS and SPSS software. During the second phase of the study, identical samples were omitted and the analysis was repeated using 20 RAPD markers. From among the 20 markers, 18 (79.5%) were polymorphic. Different techniques were applied for measuring the similarity matrix and cluster analysis. The best cluster was obtained from Dice similarity matrix and the UPGMA procedure. The average similarity coefficient obtained from Dice similarity materix indicated that the cultivars were not that much diverse. Analyzing the main characteristics of the olive cultivars differentiated them appropriately. The results of the cluster analysis confirmed the outcome of the morphologic analysis to a great extent. Generally speaking, conducting a molecular experiment along with the morpholic categorization appears essential. The RAPD markers were appropriately applied for the morphological analysis during the initial phase of the study. The obtained results can be further confirmed and analyzed using other markers.