Detection of Genetic Variation among Camellia Parents and Hybrids Using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Markers

The reliability of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique in amplifying polymorphisim among the hybrids and their parents' genomes of the genus Camellia was evaluated. Three hybrids (`Londontowne Blush', `Ashton's Snow', and `Ashton's Cameo') and one of the parents, C. oleifrea`Plain Jane', provided by the America Camellia Society, Fort Valley, Ga., were investigated. Twenty 10-based random primers were tested in this study. Five out of 20 primers were selected for RAPD analysis based on the ability to produce unambiguously scoreable RAPD bands for evaluation and comparison of the genotypes under investigation. The five primers were selected because they produced distinct patterns of amplified bands for each tested genotype. A total of 162 RAPD bands were produced. Among the 162 bands, 86 bands showed polymorphisms. The amplified band sizes ranged from 236 to 1656 bp. These data indicate that in the three hybrids and one of the parents exist unique genomic regions. Our investigation results showed that the RAPD molecular approach can be used to discriminate genetic variation among hybrids and their parents.