Genetic variation in chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandifiora) was studied using a recently developed technique generating Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs). It appeared that variation between cultivars was high and that the cultivars used could be distinguished from each other by using only two different primers. A family of cultivars, derived from one original cultivar by vegetative propagation, had identical fragment patterns. Because of the high level of polymorphism and clonal stability RAPD fragments are useful for cultivar identification. Genetic variability among related Dendranthema species was too high to study genetic distances either among cultivars within chrysanthemum or among species related to chrysanthemum.

Many conditions of the RAPD reaction procedure may influence the result. This paper presents rapid detection of influential factors with a fractional factorial experiment. A more extensive study of these factors is also presented. Polymerase brand, thermal cycler brand, annealing temperature, and primer, are important factors in obtaining good DNA yields and optimal fragment patterns. Each primer has its optimal annealing temperature, and this is not correlated with the GC content of the primer. Optimal species-primer combinations have to be found by trial and error.

In order to study genetic variability at the DNA level in chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev) PstI and HindIII genomic libraries were constructed. Probes from both libraries were tested for the presence of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). Of the probes from the PstI library 91% appeared to hybridize to low-copy genes, while only 35% of those from the HindIII library appeared to do so. The PstI probes were used in further analyses as 79% of them showed RFLPs, whereas the HindIII low-copy number probes gave only 14% polymorphic patterns. Because of the hexaploid character of chrysanthemum, complex patterns generally consisting of 6-12 fragments were visible on a Southern blot after hybridization. To simplify the genetic analysis, locus-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were developed that gave simple polymorphic patterns in a number of cases. The RFLP probes and primers developed will be used in future marker-assisted selection in this polyploid crop.