Characterization of onion genotypes by use of RAPD markers

In order to estimate, at the molecular level, the divergence of parental lines that were used in diallel crossbreeding for production of superior offspring (F1 generation hybrids) at the Institute for Vegetable Crops, the molecular analysis using five RAPD markers for five pairs of parents has been performed. It gives an insight into their genetic polymorphism and the possibility of their further use in breeding programs. Information from this research has pioneered the application of molecular markers of onion in Serbia. Analyses were performed using the RAPD primers, which in previous studies established a high degree of polymorphism. In all five cases there was a corresponding amplification of DNA segments. From totally 50 bands analyzed, the length of fragments ranged from 500 to 3000 bp. Number of polymorphic band per example was 8 to 13. In our research at the level of the analyzed primers, a high degree of polymorphism between analyzed genotypes has been found. Based on UPGMA dendogram, analyzed genotypes were divided into two main clusters and two subclusters.