INHERITANCE OF RAPD FRAGMENTS IN HAPLOID AND DIPLOID TISSUES OF PINUS-SYLVESTRIS (L.)

We studied the inheritance of RAPD fragments in haploid and diploid tissues of eight parents and 80 diploid controlled F-1 progeny of Pinus sylvestris (L.). Most fragments detected in the diploid tissue of parents were also present in their haploid macrogametophytes. All fragments observed in the parents were found in the progeny. Individual fragments amplified by a single primer were observed in unrelated trees suggesting that primer competition is not likely to cause 'epistatic' effects on RAPD polymorphism. Segregation of all variable fragments observed in haploid and diploid materials fitted the proportions expected for a dominant Mendelian trait. The segregating fragments were either present or absent confirming the dominant character of RAPD variation reported in most previous studies. None of the fragments detected in this study appeared to originate from uniparentally inherited cytoplasmic DNA. Our present results provide additional support for the usefulness of RAPD fragments as genetic markers. Nevertheless, the few differences observed between haploid and diploid tissues with respect to some fragments emphasize the need for inheritance studies preceding the use of RAPD fragments as genetic markers.