PATTERNS OF RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNAS FOR SWEET CHERRY (PRUNUS-AVIUM L.) CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION

Total genomic DNA was isolated from Is sweet cherry cultivars using a proteinase K protocol especially worked out for sweet cherry leaf samp les. For the determination of RAPD markers suitable for cultivar ident ification 23 preselected decamer primers were applied to the cultivars and a total of 201 different fragments have been recorded. The number of fragments generated per primer ranged from 2 to 13 (average 8.7). The fragment lengths ranged from 220 to 2600 bp; most of the fragments were observed in the interval of 600 to 800 bp (16.4 %). 56 RAPD loci (27.8 %) exhibited polymorphisms and the fragments amplified from tha t loci were defined as markers suitable for cultivar identification. D epending on the primer used one to five polymorphic fragments per prim er were amplified, with an average of 2.4 per primer, Between 23 and 3 9 of the markers were realized among the group, with an average of 30. 9 markers (55.2 %). There was neither a significant correlation betwee n the total number of bands per primer and the proportion of polymorph ic bands (r = 0.329, alpha = 0.125), nor between the GC-content and th e total number of bands (r = 0.142, alpha = 0.515), Scoring for the ab sence and presence of these markers revealed 16 different RAPD phenoty pes. There was neither a genetic variation detectable between 'Hedelfi nger' and 'Glemser', which is supposed to be a late-ripening 'Hedelfin ger' sport, nor between 'Buttners Spate Rote Knorpel' and 'Querfurter Konigskirsche', in all likelihood both cultivars are identical. Geneti c similarity was determined according to Jaccard's coefficient (JC). C onsidering only the polymorphic fragments JC ranged from 0.26 up to 0. 89, with an average of 0.52, Considering all 201 different RAPD fragme nts JC ranged from 0.83 up to 0.98 (average 0.89), suggesting a rather narrow genetic base among the investigated group.