Genotyping and Assessment of Genetic Relationships among Cultivars, Genetic Lines and Species of Lonicera L. Using RAPD

A Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of 73 accessions, including species, cultivars and genetic lines of the genus Lonicera was carried out to genotype accessions and to assess relationships within the honeysuckle germplasm collection of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University. The twelve selected primers identified 149 polymorphic RAPD loci. A high level of DNA polymorphism was found in the whole collection and within each group of accessions. Unique RAPD band profiles for all studied genotypes were obtained. An UPGMA dendrogram grouped all accessions of taxa producing edible fruits and closely related to L. caerulea into one cluster, separate from other species of Lonicera. The genetic relationships indicated by RAPD band profiles of the studied species are, at least in part, consistent with previously published taxonomic studies of Lonicera. RAPD bands identified in this work can be used as markers in the management of germplasm collections of Lonicera.