DNA profiling of Capsicum landraces of Manipur

Seven chilli landraces of Manipur belonging to three cultivated species of Capsicum (Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, and Capsicum chinense) form economically important food crops of the region. The genotypes were characterized using ten random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. The cluster analysis based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient calculated by UPGMA method differentiated the genotypes into two main cluster groups. One cluster represented the C. annuum genotypes while the other cluster represented the C. frutescens and the C. chinense genotypes. C. chinense genotypes were more close to C. frutescens genotypes. Genetic variation between the C. frutescens genotypes was more than among the C. annuum genotypes and the C. chinense genotypes were the least similar ones.     

Utility of RAPD,ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers for the genetic analysis of Citrus spp.

The application and informativeness of RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers to study the genetic diversity and relationship among the Citrus and its relative genotypes were investigated. High levels of polymorphism were observed for all four marker systems. The RAPD technique generated the highest number of polymorphic bands and average number of polymorphic band per assay unit. Average limit of the discriminating power was very close to its actual discriminating power of each marker. The highest and the lowest values of effective number of patterns were obtained from the marker REMAP (5.94) and RAPD (4.48), respectively. Correlation between the genetic similarities matrices were estimated from all four markers using the Mantel matrix correspondence test, and results showed significant correlations among the RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP similarity matrices. The highest correlations were found comparing RAPD and ISSR markers, whereas RAPD and REMAP (r = 0.143) markers were poorly correlated. To assess the usefulness of the overall information provided by these marker data for establishing phylogenetic relationships and Citrus germplasm classification, cluster analysis was performed. All four techniques, solely or in combination, discriminated the genotypes very efficiently and generated a high similarity in dendrogram topologies, although some differences were observed. The linkage analysis was conducted based on the segregation of 38 RAPD, 13 ISSR, 19 IRAP and 9 REMAP loci in 96 progeny of an intergeneric cross Citrus sinensis and Poncirus trifoliata. Among the 81 studied loci 65 loci distributed on five linkage groups. Comparing the result obtained with RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers in this study, IRAP and REMAP proved to be as a reliable molecular marker for fingerprinting, mapping and diversity study of Citrus and its relatives.     

Use of ISSR,SRAP, and RAPD markers to assess genetic diversity in Turkish melons

The genetic relationships among 63 melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes collected from various regions of Turkey were determined by comparing their molecular ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD markers with those of 19 foreign melon genotypes to investigate the taxonomic relationships and genetic variation of Turkish melon germplasm. Total 162 polymorphic markers (69, 18, and 75 obtained from ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD primers, respectively) were used to define the genetic similarity among the melon genotypes by dendrogram or two and three dimensional scalings. The average similarity (SM coefficient) between any two pairs of accessions examined as estimated by molecular variation was 0.73 ± 0.48. Within-group genetic similarities ranged between 0.46 and 0.96. Related genotypes or genotypes collected from similar regions were partitioned to similar clusters. Southeastern Anatolian genotypes were distinctly apart from group inodorus and group cantalupensis (sweet) genotypes. This reinforced the position of Turkey in the secondary genetic diversity center of melon. The genetic diversity among Turkish genotypes (H = 0.28 and I = 0.42) was only a little less than that of the world accessions (H = 0.30 and I = 0.45). On the other hand, the percentage of polymorphic loci among Turkish melon genotypes (90.7%) was even higher than that of the world accessions (87.6%).     

Assessment of diversity in Podophyllum hexandrum by genetic and phytochemical markers

For successful conservation and domestication of a species, evaluation of its genetic diversity by different markers is important. Morphological characteristics, phytochemical variation and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles were generated in different accessions of Podophyllum hexandrum in order to determine the genetic diversity. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed a high degree of genetic diversity among the accessions used in the study. There was also high diversity in the concentration of marker compounds in the collected samples as revealed by HPLC analysis. It is shown that the approaches used in the work successfully discriminate between the accessions of this species and thus they constitute interesting tools to analyze molecular, biochemical and phenotypic diversity within this species. Similarity measurement using UPGMA followed by cluster analysis resulted in formation of many groups based on geographical distribution that generally reflected expected trends between the genotypes. There were also some important exceptions like PW-S, an accession from Wastoorwan, Khrew showing close resemblance to PG-S and PG-B collected from Gulmarg but grown at two different gene banks at Srinagar and Bonera. Further an accession PSH-B from Keller was significantly diverse from the rest of the native genotypes phytochemically, morphologically and at molecular level. RAPD data analysis was found to be significant predictor of phytochemical markers in cultivated P. hexandrum germplasm. Twelve accessions grown in gene bank repository were subjected to RAPD analysis and were assessed for content of podophyllotoxin and podophyllotoxin β-d-glycoside by HPLC. Individual regressions of podophyllotoxin and podophyllotoxin β-d-glycoside by RAPD analysis against HPLC has been found to determine linear values. Strong correlation and a strong association of values of the phytochemical variables and the DNA polymorphism data has been recorded.     

DNA content,morphometric and molecular marker analyses of Citrus limonimedica, C. limon and C. medica for the determination of their variability and genetic relationships within the genus Citrus

This work investigated the fingerprinting and phenotyping of Citrus germplasm; species selected were of historical importance belonging to Citrus limonimedica Lush. and its supposed ancestors, along with some other species of the Citrus genus. An integrated approach based on the exploitation of nuclear DNA content, morphological traits and molecular markers, such as RAPD fingerprints and ITS-based SNPs, was employed. We studied a core collection of 54 distinct accessions, including 43 genotypes of the Citrus species (18 species or supposed species) and 11 genotypes of the Poncirus genus, which was used as the reference outgroup. Morphological trait analysis and statistical analysis of DNA content and markers were useful for reconstructing a Citrus phylogeny. In particular, our experiments aimed at estimating the genetic variation within and the genetic relatedness among C limon (L.) Burm., C. limonimedica and C. medica L. to shed light on the hybrid origin hypothesis of C. limonimedica. The results of the multidisciplinary analyses allowed us to confirm a remarkable differentiation between Poncirus and Citrus genera and to highlight a close relationship among the three investigated Citrus species but a distinct difference between these three species and other species in the Citrus genus. RAPD fingerprints and ITS polymorphisms enabled us to point out a variation gradient between lemon and citron, with C. limonimedica as a possible intermediate species. Some accessions of C. medica and C. limonimedica that deviate from such a trend suggest recurrent introgression and/or hybridisation with other species of Citrus.     

RAPD markers reveal polymorphism among some Iranian pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes

In this study RAPD markers were used to determine the diversity level among 24 Iranian pomegranate genotypes. One hundred decamer random primers were used for PCR reactions, among which 16 showed reliable polymorphic patterns. These primers produced 178 bands, of which 102 were polymorphic. Cluster analysis of the genotypes was performed based on data from polymorphic RAPD bands, using Jaccard's similarity coefficient and UPGMA clustering method. The highest and lowest similarities detected between genotypes were 0.89 and 0.29, respectively. At a similarity of 60%, the genotypes were divided into four sub-clusters. Cophenetic correlation coefficient between similarity matrix and cophenetic matrix of dendrogram was relatively high (r = 0.9) showing the goodness of fit of the dendrogram. RAPD markers showed to be a useful tool for studying the genetic diversity of pomegranate.     

Analysis of genetic diversity among wild pomegranates in Western Himalayas,using PCR methods

The genus Punica (Punicaceae) is distributed in Iran, Afghanistan, India and Mediterranean countries. Iran is considered to be its primary center of origin. In India Punica granatum is found in wild only in Western Himalayan regions comprising, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states. However, there is little information available about the genetic variation present in pomegranates in the regions. In this paper we describe the use of DAMD and RAPD methods that generate the profiles, to study genetic diversity in wild genotypes of the P. granatum in India. Forty-nine accessions representing two regions of Western Himalaya were analyzed. Similarity coefficient value varied from 0.08 to 0.79 across different accessions. The results indicate that DAMD (97.08%) revealed more polymorphism in comparison to RAPD (93.72%). The results show that these methods are sufficiently informative to unravel the genetic variations in wild pomegranates in Western Himalayas.     

Genetic diversity in Tunisian olive accessions and their relatedness with other Mediterranean olive genotypes

Eighty-four olive accessions obtained from the National Conservatory of Boughrara-Sfax (Tunisia), previously evaluated for morphological traits, were analysed with 47 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. They were compared with other olive genotypes originated from Eastern or Western Mediterranean. The highest and lowest similarities between genotypes, estimated by simple matching algorithm, were 0.98 and 0.40, respectively. A dendrogram based on Ward's method and a factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) showed that most of Tunisian accessions are closely related to olive genotypes originating from the Eastern Mediterranean and some are clustering with genotypes originated from the Western Mediterranean. These findings suggested multiple and complex origin of Tunisian olive. A comparative study between a previous morphological analysis and current RAPD assay was carried out and discussed.     

Genetic divergence among gerbera accessions evaluated by RAPD

Genetic diversity was evaluated by RAPD markers and morpho-agronomic characters for a total of 42 accessions of Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) consisting of 29 commercial and 13 wild accessions. A total of 74 polymorphic bands were obtained employing a set of 12 primer pairs. The average genetic similarity coefficient for the 42 accessions, evaluated by Jaccard index was 0.55 ranging from 0.28 to 1.00. The genetic structure found among Barberton daisy accessions was evaluated by hierarchic classification analyses and UPGMA modeling, revealing six clusters of genotypes where two of them include the wild accessions and the remaining four including commercial material, except for wild genotype number 9. Shannon (H′) index was calculated using the molecular markers to investigate the genetic variation among the Gerbera accessions and showed higher values for the commercial cluster in comparison to the values obtained for the individuals from the non-commercial cluster, namely 0.34 versus 0.27, respectively. Therefore, both calculated indices (Jaccard and Shannon) indicated the presence of higher genetic variation among commercial accessions in comparison to the cluster representing non-commercial accessions, suggesting that genetic breeding programs may focus on commercial accessions to recombine interesting genotypes with commercially important and marketing-desired characteristics.     

Molecular characterization and genetic relationship among almond cultivars assessed by RAPD and SSR markers

RAPDs and SSRs were used to study the genetic diversity of Iranian almond cultivars and their relationship to important foreign cultivars and three related species. Eight unidentified almond Shahrodi cultivars and three wild almonds (Prunus communis, Prunus orientalis and Prunus scoparia) were also included. Of the primers tested, 42 (out of 80) RAPD and 18 (out of 26) SSR primers were selected for their reproducibility and high polymorphism. A total of 664 polymorphic RAPD bands were detected out of 729 bands. The number of presumed alleles revealed by the SSR analysis ranged from 3 to 10 alleles per locus with a mean value of 6.64 alleles per locus. Both techniques discriminated the genotypes very effectively, but only RAPDs were able to discriminate the cultivars Monagha and Sefied. Results demonstrated an extensive genetic variability within the tested cultivars as well as the value of SSR markers developed in peach for characterization of almond and related species of Prunus. Dice similarity coefficient was calculated for all pair wise comparisons and was used to construct a UPGMA dendrogram. For both markers a high similarity in dendrogram topologies was obtained although some differences were observed. All dendrograms, including that obtained by the combined use of both the marker data, depicted the phenetic relationships among the cultivars and species, depending upon their geographic region and/or pedigree information. Almond cultivars clustered with accession of P. communis showing their close relationship. P. orientalis and P. scoparia were clustered out of the rest of P. dulcis.     

Genetic diversity and classification of Nelumbo germplasm of different origins by RAPD and ISSR analysis

In this study, RAPD and ISSR markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity and genetic relationships among different germplasm of Nelumbo including 70 Chinese ornamental cultivars, 7 wild Thai genotypes, 2 Nelumbo lutea genotypes and 8 hybrids of Nelumbo nucifera and N. lutea. High genetic diversities of 96.4% and 91.2% respectively were detected in the Nelumbo accessions using RAPD and ISSR markers. A dendrogram based on both RAPD and ISSR clustering data indicated that: (1) the genotypes of N. nucifera and N. lutea from different geographical origins were clustered into different groups. This indicated significant genetic differentiation attributed to extensive periods of geographical isolation and lack of gene exchange; (2) the Thai wild genotypes were separated from Chinese genotypes. This indicated genetic divergence between germplasm from Southeast Asia and that from China. Geographical location appears to have affected genetic diversity due to adaptation of the plants to the different environments. A new Southeastern Asia Lotus category is suggested as an addition to the current lotus cultivars classification system; (3) data on three morphological traits (namely: plant size, petal shape and flower color), showed that only the data on plant size was consistent with the dendrogram constructed from molecular data. This finding suggests that using data on genetic relationships in combination with morphological characteristics would serve to improve the classification system of lotus cultivars currently in use. The finding of previously unknown germplasm in this study indicated the potential of RAPD and ISSR techniques in identifying and managing lotus resources. Both marker techniques are potentially useful in improving the current strategies in breeding and germplasm conservation to enhance the ornamental and economic value of lotus.     

Morphological and molecular analyses of Rosa damascena × R. bourboniana interspecific hybrids

Rosa damascena Mill is the most important scented rose species cultivated for rose oil production. Rosa bourboniana L. (Edward rose), a related species, is popular on account of its longer blooming period and ease of propagation. With an aim to combine the oil quality of R. damascena and recurrent flowering habit of R. bourboniana, two cultivars (Jwala and Himroz) of R. damascena were crossed with R. bourboniana. The F1 hybrids obtained were evaluated using morphological, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and microsatellite (SSR) markers. Twenty-two selected RAPD and three SSR primer pairs were utilized for hybrid identification. According to presence or absence of bands RAPD and SSR markers were classified into seven types of markers. The bands specific for the pollen parent and occurring in the hybrids were good markers to confirm the hybridity. The non-parental bands expressing uniquely in hybrids were effective in distinguishing the hybrids from each other. Cluster analysis, based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient using unweighted pair group method based on arithmetic mean (UPGMA), reliably discriminated the hybrids into two main clusters. These results indicate the practical usefulness of RAPD and SSR markers in hybrid identification in scented roses. The approach is advantageous for its rapidity and simplicity, for identification of hybrids at the juvenile stage. One of the studied morphological traits – prickle density, can also complement in the identification of interspecific hybrids between R. damscena (♀) and R. bourboniana (♂).     

EST-PCR markers developed for highbush blueberry are also useful for genetic fingerprinting and relationship studies in rabbiteye blueberry

The pedigrees of most rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) cultivars can be traced back to four wild selections, ‘Ethel’, ‘Clara’, ‘Myers’, and ‘Black Giant’; thus, they result from a very narrow germplasm base and are highly related. Until now randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) has been the only type of molecular marker used in rabbiteye blueberry. Here we have tested whether a type of sequence-tagged site (STS) marker which utilizes specific ∼20-mer primers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum), called EST-PCR markers, are useful for genetic fingerprinting and relationship studies in rabbiteye blueberry. Of 44 EST-PCR primer pairs, from an assortment of genes expressed in flower buds of cold acclimated and non-acclimated plants, and shown to amplify polymorphic fragments among a collection of highbush genotypes, 40 (91%) resulted in successful amplification, and 33 of those (83%) amplified polymorphic fragments among the rabbiteye genotypes. The average number of scorable bands per primer pair was two. A dendrogram constructed from genetic similarity values, based on the EST-PCR marker data, tended to group siblings and parent/progeny together, generally agreeing with pedigree information. A group of 20 markers from five EST-PCR primer pairs distinguished all the genotypes in this study. These markers are as easy to generate and as affordable as RAPDs, but are based on actual gene sequences, and should have general utility for DNA fingerprinting, genetic diversity, and mapping studies.     

Genetic diversity of Indonesian cauliflower cultivars and their relationships with hybrid cultivars grown in Australia

The objectives of this study were to investigate genetic variation and relationships between Indonesia-, Australian- and European-based cultivars and to evaluate variation within Indonesia cultivars as all cultivars are open-pollinated. Eight cauliflower cultivars collected from three production regions in Indonesia and four F₁ hybrids cultivars grown in Australia were evaluated using RAPD and ISSR markers. DNA polymorphisms generated from 10 polymorphic RAPD primers were used to construct a dendogram using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and to generate a fingerprinting key. ISSR marker analysis using 14 primers were attempted but DNA polymorphisms could not be clearly identified. The RAPD technique indicated that variation occurred both within and between Indonesian cultivars. Comparison between Indonesian-, Australian- and European-based cultivars showed that Indonesian cultivars have unique genotypes and would be good sources of genes for future crop improvement.     

Assessment of genetic diversity among mango (Mangifera indica L.) genotypes using RAPD markers

Knowledge about the extent of genetic diversity/relatedness in mango germplasm is vital for developing coherent strategies for future gains in productivity. The genetic diversity/relatedness among mango cultivars/genotypes developed in Pakistan has not been investigated previously. We have assessed the genetic diversity among 25 mango genotypes/cultivars using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Sixty random ten-mer primers were surveyed, out of which 45 yielded amplicons in all the genotypes. Genetic similarity between genotypes/cultivars was in the range of 64–89% with an average of 74%. Similarly, the genetic relatedness among all variants derived from a mango cultivar Chaunsa was in the range of 81.18–88.63%. These coefficients were utilized to construct a dendrogram using the unweighted pair group of arithmetic means (UPGMA). The genotypes were grouped into three (A, B, C) clusters. Generally, genotypes originating from Pakistan were grouped in cluster ‘A’ while cluster ‘B’ primarily composed of southern India as well as Florida cultivars. Kensington Pride was the most distantly related genotype which grouped with Maya and Yakta, forming a distinct cluster ‘C’.     

Confirmation of Clematis hybrids using molecular markers

The hybrid origin of progeny from crosses of Clematis tubulosa and Clematis brevicaudata was investigated using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from sequence analysis of chloroplast rbcL, accD genes, and the C. brevicaudatamatK gene. Plants collected from three and four populations of C. brevicaudata (C. brev) and C. tubulosa (C. tubu), respectively, from Mt. Songshan, Beijing, China were used as parents for hybridization. Morphological characters of pollen, seeds, and leaves were recorded in 2007. DNA from leaf samples of both parents and of C. brev × C. tubu and C. tubu × C. brev were extracted, and used for RAPD and SNPs from sequence data. A dendrogram was constructed by the branching neighbor-joining (IB-NJ) method. Proportionate population scores were generated by the admixture model using the STRUCTURE software. Based on morphological characters, C. brevicaudata was quite uniform. However, variations were detected in C. tubulosa. Hybrids of C. brev × C. tubu and C. tubu × C. brev showed intermediate morphological characters of the parents. Accessions of C. tubu × C. brev were clustered into 2 groups, with the majority of hybrids belonging to group IV b in the RAPD dendrogram, suggesting that this resulted from variations within C. tubulosa. In general, the hybrid origin of all progeny characterized by morphological characters was supported by the RAPD and SNPs data. These results indicate that RAPD results supported by SNPs data will be useful tool to verify hybrids.     

Genetic relatedness (diversity) and cultivar identification by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers in teasle gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.)

Genetic relationship and variation of 29 accessions of teasle gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.) and 1 accession of Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng. (wild relatives of teasle gourd) were examined by RAPD analysis using 44 dodecamer oligonucleotide primers. A total of 496 fragments were produced by 44 primers of which 95% bands were polymorphic. Using presence or absence of specific RAPD markers or combination of primers, 23 out of 30 accessions were identified. The genetic relatedness or genetic distance based on Nei and Li's genetic similarity varied from 0.86 to 0.65 with an average of 0.74 among 29 M. dioica accessions (when M. cochinchinensis excluded). In the phenetic dendrogram developed from cluster analysis using UPGMA method, M. cochinchinensis was out grouped as single accession, while others showing relatively weak grouping formed four groups. Clustering pattern did not demonstrate any relationship between geographical origin and genetic diversity. A DNA extraction method has been standardized. This is the first report of using RAPD techniques in teasle gourd. It was concluded that RAPD analysis is a useful tool for genotypic identification and estimation of genetic similarity in teasle gourd.     

Molecular assessment of polymorphism among local Jordanian genotypes of the common fig (Ficus carica L.)

This research was conducted to assess polymorphism among local genotypes of common fig available in Jordan (one of countries of origin). Leaf samples were collected in spring for DNA isolation from 20 different local genotypes (5 cultivars and 15 landraces). Two more wild types and one foreign cultivar were included. The genotypes were assessed using the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Six of the 19 screened primers showed reproducible polymeric profiles. Out of 62 amplified bands, 48 were polymorphic (77%). They generated 1104 data entries (591 for present and 513 for absent bands). After determining Jaccard similarity index, some genotypes showed high genetic similarity (90% between F20 and F22), while other were less similar (3–18% between F11 and all other genotypes). Moreover, the primers were evaluated for their discriminating power, where primer RAPD06 showed the weakest power (0.431), while highest values of 0.989 and 0.996 were achieved for primers RAPD02 and RAPD13, respectively.     

Genetic diversity of ash gourd [Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.] inbred lines based on RAPD and ISSR markers and their hybrid performance

Ten inbred lines of ash gourd [Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.] were crossed to produce 45 F₁ hybrids (without reciprocal) which were evaluated along with the parents for 20 growth- and yield-related traits, in a replicated field trial. High level of heterosis was observed among the hybrids for most of the traits examined, including yield. These inbred lines were analysed by using 42 RAPD primers those produced 282 DNA marker bands. A total of 130 RAPD markers were obtained with a mean of 3.1 per primer, which in combination discriminated all the inbreds from each other. Pair-wise genetic distance measurements ranged from 0.07 to 0.31, suggesting a wide genetic diversity for these inbreds. These inberds were also analysed with five ISSR primers of which four were informative. Twenty-six ISSR marker bands were generated of which 11 were polymorphic with an average of 2.80 per primers. The percentage of polymorphic bands produced were higher in ISSR markers (>80%) than generated through RAPD markers (46%). Although the results indicated significant positive correlations of genetic distance with hybrid performance and heterosis, the RAPD based genetic distance measures and use of limited ISSR markers in this present study could not effectively predict hybrid performance in this crop. The genetic variation among ash gourd inbred lines examined, herein, defined a marker array (combined ISSR and RAPD) for the development of a standard reference for further genetic analyses, and the selection of potential parents for predicting hybrid performance and heterosis.     

Is single bulb producing garlic Allium sativum or Allium ampeloprasum?

A set of control specimens of Allium sativum and Allium ampeloprasum from different geographic origins were analyzed using karyotype analysis and molecular markers (RAPD, M13 minisatellites and SNPs) to assess the gene-pool source of the single bulb garlic cultivar. Karyotype analysis showed that A. sativum and single bulb garlic were diploids, wild A. ampeloprasum was 2× (Sardinia and Basilicata) and 4× (Tremiti Island) while Great headed garlic landrace was 6×. Molecular diversity analyses confirmed the differentiation between A. sativum (14 specimens) and A. ampeloprasum species-complex (18 specimens). The “single bulb” market garlic cultivar, introduced into the European market from China, resulted to be nested in A. sativum genetic cluster. The cultivated forms of A. ampeloprasum (Leek and Great headed garlic) proved to be more differentiated than the wild one. Among the wild Mediterranean plant materials, the specimens of A. ampeloprasum from Sardinia demonstrated to be more differentiated than the wild genotypes from the west (Basilicata and Tremiti Island) based on either nucleotide variations of ITS1 or RAPD and M13 diversity. No SNP was observed, comparing a consensus sequence of 148 bp at ITS1 gene among three different specimens of A. sativum, while 18 mutated positions were detected in seven different specimens of A. ampeloprasum. The maximum number of variable positions were detected in the Sardinian wild A. ampeloprasum, followed by Leek and the wild A. ampeloprasum specimens from Basilicata and Tremiti (South Italy). Overall, it is clearly evident that the single bulb Chinese garlic cultivar is A. sativum. M13 marker demonstrated to be the most suitable in distinguishing the two different gene pools performing very well in terms of resolution, cost and ease of use.