Journal of Applied Genetics 42(4), 2001, pp. 425-433

RAPD-based assessment of genetic similarity and distance between Lupinus species in section Albus

Jerzy A. PRZYBOROWSKI, Norman F. WEEDEN

Abstract: It was earlier suggested that the lupine taxa identified as Lupinus graecus Boissier et Spruner, L. jugoslavicus Kazim. et Now., and L. vavilovi Majss. et Atab. should be considered one species, L. albus, with two botanical varieties: var. albus (bitter cultivated form) and var. graecus (wild ancestor). We investigated this possibility by examining the genetic distance between L. albus, L. termis and L. vavilovi with RAPD markers. The genetic distances between taxa were found to be very small (<0.1), similar to results for other conspecific taxa. In addition, only three of 146 amplified fragments examined were unique to a specific taxon (L. vavilovi). We conclude that the three taxa studied belong to one species and can be divided into two varieties, as suggested earlier.

Key words: genetic distance, genetic similarity, Lupinus, RAPD.

Correspondence: J.A. PRZYBOROWSKI, Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Production, University of Warmia and Mazury, Plac Lodzki 3, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland, e-mail: jurekp@moskit.uwm.edu.pl