Sweet cherry cultivar identification using RAPD-derived DNA fingerprints

Total genomic DNA from 18 sweet cherry cultivars was isolated from freeze-dried leaves using a proteinase K protocol developet for sweet cherry leaf samples. For the determination of RAPD markers suitable for cultivar identification, 200 ten bp-primers were screened for the generation of polymorphic fragments. Twenty-three primers were identified for application to the cultivars and 56 polymorphic fragments were identified as markers to differentiate the cultivars investigated, with respect to reliable presence or absence of a marker. Between 23 and 39 of the markers were realized among the group. Depending on the primer used, one to five polymorphic fragments per primer were amplified, with an average of 2.4 per primer. A few primers targeted DNA regions which were unique for 14 of the cultivars. There was no primer that detects enough genetic variation among the cultivars for a complete differentiation but scoring for the absence and presence of these markers reveals a unique binary code for each cultivar (exceptions mentioned below). Genetic similarity was determined according to Jaccard's coefficient (JC) considering only the polymorphic fragments. JC ranged from 0.26 up to 0.89. There was neither a genetic variation detectable between 'Hedelfinger' and 'Glemser', nor between 'Buttners Spate Rote Knorpel' and 'Querfurter Konigskirsche', for reasons which will be discussed.