Indian Journal of Horticulture

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyse genetic diversity in 25 rose cultivar and 5 species. The C-TAB method gave significantly higher yields and good availability of DNA. Thirty five random decamer primers were employed for RAPD analysis, of which the 28 primers generated polymorphic bands. Out of 28 primers, 25 amplified all the rose cultivars. The size of amplified DNA fragments varied from 0.25 to 3.0 kbp. In total, 226 bands were obtained, of which 209 were polymorphic, while 17 bands monomorphic. For the genotypes tested between 1–12 bands were obtained for each primer with an average of 8.1 bands per primer. The highest polymorphic bands were generated by OBA11 and OPA10. With UPGMA cluster analysis, the 25 cultivars grouped into 3 major clusters and the five Rosa species formed a separate cluster. At further distance, Abhisarika (mutant from “Kiss of Fire”), existed separate away from all the other varieties. Pairwise similarity of rose cultivars showed high values of 0.75 and mean of 0.55. The principal component analysis resolved into 30 components. Principal components explained 38% of variability and confirmed the results of UPGMA cluster analysis. Characterization of rose cultivars and species using RAPD technique is suggested as an efficient reliable and clonic alternative to the conventional methods those are based on morphological markers.