Genetic relationships among Carica papaya cultivars, breeding lines, unimproved germplasm, and related species were established using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Seventy-one papaya accessions and related species were analyzed with nine EcoRI-MseI primer combinations. A total of 186 informative AFLP markers was generated and analyzed. Cluster analysis suggested limited genetic variation in papaya, with an average genetic similarity among 63 papaya accessions of 0.880. Genetic diversity among cultivars derived from the same or similar gene pools was smaller, such as Hawaiian Solo hermaphrodite cultivars and Australian dioecious cultivars with genetic similarity at 0.921 and 0.912, respectively. The results indicated that self-pollinated hermaphrodite cultivars were as variable as open-pollinated dioecious cultivars. Genetic diversity between C. papaya and six other Carica species was also evaluated. Carica papaya shared the least genetic similarity with these species, with an average genetic similarity of 0.432; the average genetic similarity among the six other species was 0.729. The results from AFLP markers provided detailed estimates of the genetic variation within and among papaya cultivars, and supported the notion that C. papaya diverged from the rest of Carica species early in the evolution of this genus.

Genetic diversity of Coffea arabica cultivars was estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Sixty one Coffea accessions composed of six arabica cultivars, including Typica, Bourbon, Catimor, Catuai, Caturra and Mokka Hybrid, plus two diploid Coffea species, were analyzed with six EcoRI- MseI primer combinations. A total of 274 informative AFLP markers were generated and scored as binary data. These data were analyzed using cluster methods in the software package NTSYSpc. The differences among cultivars at the DNA level were small, with an average genetic similarity of 0.933. Most accessions within a cultivar formed a cluster, although deviant samples occurred in five of the six cultivars examined due to residual heterozygosity from ancestral materials. Among the six cultivars fingerprinted, the highest level of genetic diversity was found within the cultivar Catimor, with an average genetic similarity of 0.880. The lowest level was found within Caturra accessions, with an average genetic similarity of 0.993. Diversity between C. arabica and two other Coffea species, Coffea canephora and Coffea liberica, was also estimated with average genetic similarities of 0.540 and 0.413, respectively, suggesting that C. canephora is more closely related to C. arabica than is C. liberica. The genetic variation among arabica cultivars was similar to the variation within cultivars, and no cultivar-specific DNA marker was detected. Although arabica cultivars appear to have a narrow genetic base, our results show that sufficient polymorphism can be found among some arabica cultivars with a genetic similarity as low as 0.767 for genetic/QTL mapping and breeding. The assessment of genetic diversity among arabica cultivars provided the necessary information to estimate the potential for using marker-assisted breeding for coffee improvement.

We have used AFLPs to construct a genetic linkage map on a pseudo-F(2) population of arabica coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) derived from a cross between the cultivars Mokka hybrid and Catimor. Sixty trees from this population were selected on the basis of plant height distribution to construct a linkage map. A total of 456 dominant markers and eight co-dominant markers were generated from 288 AFLP primer combinations. Of the total number of markers generated, 68% were from cv. Catimor, 30% from cv. Mokka hybrid, and 2% were co-dominant. This distribution suggests that the heterozygosity within the cv. Catimor sub-genomes was twice that within the cv. Mokka hybrid sub-genomes. Linkage groups were constructed using MAPMAKER version 3.0, resulting in 16 major linkage groups containing 4-21 markers, and 15 small linkage groups consisting of 2-3 linked markers each. The total length of the map was 1,802.8 cM, with an average distance of 10.2 cM between adjacent markers. This genetic map will serve as the framework for mapping QTL controlling source-sink traits in the same population.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) cultivars, often derived from somatic mutations, are propagated vegetatively. It has been suggested by isozyme data that there is little genetic variation among Smooth Cayenne cultivars. A thorough investigation of the genetic variation within the cultivated species Ananas comosus, particularly among commercial cultivars, will provide critical information needed for crop improvement and cultivar protection. One-hundred and forty-eight accessions of A. comosus and 14 accessions of related species were evaluated with AFLP markers. The average genetic similarity of A. comosus was 0.735 ranging from 0.549 to 0.972, suggesting a high degree of genetic variation within this species. With AFLP markers, discrete DNA fingerprints were detected for each commercial cultivar, breeding line, and intra-specific hybrid. Self-incompatibility, high levels of somatic mutation, and intraspecific hybridization may account for this high degree of variation. However, major cultivar groups of pineapple, such as Cayenne, Spanish, and Queen, could not be distinctively separated. These cultivar groups are based on morphological similarity, and the similar appearance can be caused by a few mutations that occurred on different genetic background. Our results suggest that there is abundant genetic variation within existing pineapple germplasm for selection, and discrete DNA fingerprinting patterns for commercial cultivars can be detected for cultivar protection. The genetic diversity and relationships of four Ananas species are also discussed.

The trioecious papaya is a unique system to study the roles of flower organ identity genes of the ABC model in a multi-sex-type plant species. We have cloned two AGAMOUS (AG) subfamily genes, CpPLE and CpSTK, and one AP1 subfamily gene, CpFUL-a FRUITFUL homolog. CpPLE, CpSTK, and CpFUL are grouped into the PLE, D, and euFUL sublineages, respectively. Both CpPLE and CpSTK were expressed only in flowers, not in roots and leaves based on Northern and RT-PCR analyses. Specifically, CpPLE was detected only in the stamens and carpels of flowers of all three sex types, from a very early stage of flower development through full maturity. CpSTK expression was detected in female and hermaphrodite flowers, but completely absent in male flowers. This is the only gene found so far that shows sex-type-specific expression in papaya but this is likely to be an indirect effect of sex determination rather than a causative agent. CpFUL was expressed in leaves and all parts of the flowers except stamens. The genomic structures and expression patterns of CpPLE and CpSTK are consistent with their potential functions as C and D class genes, respectively. CpPLE belongs to the PLE lineage and is therefore an ortholog of SHP1/2 rather than AG. However, CpPLE is likely to perform ancestral functions in carpel and stamen identity, whereas SHP1/2 are involved in fruit development. These findings demonstrate that the evolution of gene function within the AG and PLE lineages has been quite dynamic, even over relatively short phylogenetic distances.