Differentiation of Lycium barbarum from its related Lycium species using random amplified polymorphic DNA

The RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) technique was applied for the f irst time to distinguish Lycium barbarum from other closely related species of the same genus. In this study, eight samples were collected, including five species, two varieties and one cultivated variety. A total of fifty ar bitrary primers were used in the RAPD analysis. Distinctive DNA fingerprint s corresponding to different Lycium species were successfully obtained from ten primers. Similarity index (S.I.) analysis revealed that the values are higher between intraspecies than interspecies. These results confirmed tha t the RAPD technique can be employed for distinguishing closely related spe cies of Lycium.