RAPD CHARACTERIZATION OF POA-ANNUA L POPULATIONS IN GOLF COURSE GREENS AND FAIRWAYS

Although identical populations of Poa annua L. may colonize golf cours e greens and fairways, management practices may cause strong selection pressure and cause genetic shifts in adjacent populations, The object ive of our research was to assess genetic differences in adjacent P. a nnua populations with RAPD markers. Cores were collected Rom preens an d fairways of three golf course holes and RAPD markers used to evaluat e genetic differences between the two environments, Eighty-six primers were screened to evaluate differences between bulk samples of greens and fairways. Nine primers produced 12 RAPD markers. Five of these wer e used to evaluate 54 individual plant samples from each environment. Statistical evaluation indicated significant differences (P = 0.01) be tween the green and fairway populations for four of !he RAPD markers a nd among holes within fairways for three markers. These differences ma y indicate limited gene flow between adjacent populations of P. annua.