Potential of molecular marker analysis for variety identification in processed tobacco

We describe the assessment of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers for the fingerprinting and identification of cultivated tobacco varieties. Two DNA extractionand purification methods were found to be suitable for fingerprinting analysis on different types of processed tobacco leaf. RAPD markers revealed low levels of polymorphism between the varieties tested and were not reproducibly found in cured tobacco leaves. Conversely, a total of 33 polymorphic AFLP markers could be identified upon the analysis of green leaf of four commercial tobacco varieties using six primer combinations. In addition, the AFLP pattern of cured and green leaf of the same variety was comparable. These results confirm the superiority of AFLP over RAPD techniques in plant variety fingerprinting and open interesting possibilities for post-harvest variety identification in cured tobacco and other processed agricultural crops.