PCR-BASED FINGERPRINTING USING AFLPS AS A TOOL FOR STUDYING GENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS IN LACTUCA SPP

AFLP markers were evaluated for determining the phylogenetic relations hips Lactuca spp. Genetic distances based on AFLP data were estimated for 44 morphologically diverse lines of cultivated L. sativa and 13 ac cessions of the wild species L. serriola, L. saligna, L. virosa, L. pe rennis, and L. indica. The same genotypes were analyzed as in a previo us study that had utilized RFLP markers. The phenetic tree based on AF LP data was consistent with known taxonomic relationships and similar to a tree developed with RFLP data, The genetic distance matrices deri ved from AFLP and RFLP data were compared using least squares regressi on analysis and, for the cultivar data, by principal component analysi s, There was also a positive linear relationship between distance esti mates based on AFLP data and kinship coefficients calculated from pedi gree data. AFLPs represent reliable PCR-based markers for studies of g enetic relationships at a variety of taxonomic levels.