Study of genetic variation in yarrow using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

Two types of molecular markers, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were assayed in order to study genetic diversity of 12 yarrow accessions belonging to three species. Seven ISSR primers and nine RAPD primers generated 187 amplified fragments, most of which were polymorphic. The Jaccard’s similarity indices (J), based on RAPD and ISSR profiles, were subjected to UPGMA analysis. Application of Mantel’s test for cophenetic correlation to the cluster analysis indicated the high fitness of the accessions to a group (r = 0.97). The dendrogram generated revealed three groups. The results of the clustering showed that Achillea eriophora was separated from the other genotypes in the dendrogram. The principle component analysis (PCA) plot confirmed the results of the clustering. According to the results of the cluster analysis, three species were adjoined in 0.29% similarity coefficient. The results of the clustering analysis corresponded closely with the geographical origins of the genotypes. The results of this study will provide the basic information for effective conservation programs.