Genetic diversity in several Echium amoenum Fisch& Mey. ecotypes from western and northern regions of Iran via RAPD markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers was used to characterize genetic diversity among 16 ecotypes of Iranian Echium amoenum collected from western and northern regions of Iran. Total genomic DNA was extracted by STE method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using twenty three RAPD primers. From 438 scoreable bands, three hundred and eighty five bands among different ecotypes were polymorphic (87/9%). RAPD products were scored for presence (1) or absence (0) of each amplicon. Binary method and subsequently genetic similarity was calculated by employing Dice index. Cluster analysis was carried out according to UPGMA algorithm. Cluster analysis, classified ecotypes into eight main groups. The highest similarity (0.68) was found between Gazvin and Lorestan ecotypes, whereas, the lowest was between Gannat Roudbar and Gorgan. The results showed there was a moderate level of genetic diversity among Echium amoenum ecotypes. Moreover, results indicated that RAPD technique is an efficient tool for assessing genetic diversity in Iranian Echium amoenum ecotypes.