Genetic relatedness among 85 Lansium domesticum Corr. accessions from Penin
sular Malaysia were investigated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RA
PD) markers. Ten primers were used for amplification and yielded a total of
113 bands, of which 107 were polymorphic. Homology tests showed that the R
APD bands used in the study satisfy assumptions of homology and non-allelic
behaviour. A dendrogram showing genetic similarities among accessions was
constructed based on the 107 polymorphic bands using UPGMA cluster analysis
. Jaccard similarity coefficients ranged from 0.25 to 1.00 among accessions
indicating a diverse genepool in the species indicative of different speci
es parentage. The dendrogram separated the 85 accessions into three main cl
usters, one comprising 56 accessions which possess thin-skinned fruit (most
ly Dokong and Langsat), while the second has 28 accessions (mostly Duku-lan
gsat, Duku Terengganu and Duku Johor) with thick fruit skin and the third c
omprising only one accession, namely Duku hutan. Thus, RAPD analysis was a
useful tool for determining the genetic relatedness among accessions and id
entifying different types of L. domesticum. (C) 2000 Annals of Botany Compa
ny.