DNA fingerprinting of Populus trichocarpa clones using RAPD markers

Nine trees from a single, natural population of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. et Gray) in Alaska were screened for randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers with ten different 10-base random oligonucleotide primers in order to evaluate the use of RAPD analysis for distinguishing black cottonwood clones. Nine primers amplified the genomic DNA targets; two primers were able to differentiate all clones. Eight clones were distinguished among the nine tree samples assayed. Two trees showed identical banding patterns with all primers used; therefore it is suggested that these trees are from the same clone. The RAPD fingerprinting method is simple and powerful-one primer can distinguish different clones, while the use of multiple primers reduces fingerprint similarity and resolves discrepancies.