GENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE GENUS-BETA DETERMINED USING BOTH PCR-BASED MARKER AND DNA-SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES

The sequences of ITS1 of the internal transcribed spacer regions of nu clear ribosomal DNA from 11 species or subspecies in four sections of the genus Beta were compared. Phylogeny of these wild beet taxa was in ferred from the sequence data using phenetic and phylogenetic analyses . Multiple accessions from the same 11 taxa were subjected to random a mplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and the data were analysed p henetically. With both molecular techniques and each analysis, three d istinctive groups were formed: species from section Beta formed one gr oup; species from section Procumbentes formed a very distinct group; a nd species from both section Nanae and section Corollinae clustered to gether forming the third group, which is closer to Beta than to Procum bentes. The RAPD data revealed within-section interspecies relationshi ps that are consistent with those reported previously; this was not al ways the case using the single-locus sequence data.