The genetic similarities of eight closely related rye cultivars were estimated using two molecular marking techniques : restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) . Cultivars were evaluated for variation by 11 random cDNA and genomic clones used in combination with four restriction enzymes and 40 decamer primers . A total of 53 polymorphic RFLP fragments and 94polymorphic RAPD fragments were observed. Based on the presence/absence of fragments, two genetic similarity matrices were calculated which were then used in cluster analysis . Differences between pair of cultivars were observed in RFLP and RAPD dendrograms . RFLP analysis produced estimates of genetic relationships more in accordance with the partially known pedigree of the cultivars than did RAPD analysis . The use of bulk samples of DNA in these analyses affected the sensitivity of RAPD assays more strongly . Dendrograms which took into account all fragments produced, either by RFLP or RAPD, reflected better the relationships between cultivars than did dendrograms based on only one type of marker. This reflects the importance of the number of markers used in determining the genetic relationships between genotypes .

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