African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (9), pp. 891-897, September 2005          
ISSN 1684–5315 © 2005 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Genetic analysis of Ethiopian mustard genotypes using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

Tsige Genet¹, C.D. Viljoen² and M.T. Labuschagne^2*

¹Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, Adet Research Center, P.O.Box 1626, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

²University of Free State, Department of Plant Sciences, P.O. Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300, Republic of South Africa.

*Corresponding author. E-mail:Tsigegenet@yahoo.com; Fax: +251-08-280235; Tel: +251-08-280591.

Accepted 21 June, 2005

Genetic diversity within Brassica carinata A. Braun has not been extensively examined with molecular markers. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships among 39 B. carinata genotypes using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). Thirty-nine genotypes of B. carinata were analyzed using six AFLP primer combinations. A total of 189 polymorphic fragments were scored, with an average of 32 fragments per primer combination. Genetic distance estimates (GDEs) based on AFLPs was calculated and found to range from 0.346 to 0.639 with a mean of 0.504 ± 0.002. Polymorphic rates ranged from 50 to 80%. The unweighted pair group method of arithmetic averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis group these genotypes into seven distinct clusters. These data demonstrate that AFLP is a reliable tool and permits greater insights into the genetic diversity of B. carinata.

 Key words: AFLPs, Brassica carinata A. Braun, cluster analysis, DNA fingerprinting, genetic distance.