Abstract
To determine the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among red radishes, 37 accessions with different flesh colors were analyzed in terms of the red pigment content, karyotypes, and simple sequence repeat markers. Red pigment content of red radish was 3.4 to 28.8% with an average of 15.62%. The karyotype formulas were 14 m (median) + 4 sm (submedian), 16 m + 2 sm, and 18 m for radishes with the same number of chromosomes. The number of alleles detected among the 86 simple sequence repeat primers was 2 to 15 in red-flesh radishes and 2 to 11 in white-flesh radishes. Clustering analysis separated the accessions into three clusters, with most accessions from the same region clustering together. The results indicated that (1) red radish is abundant in red radish, which is a valuable material in red pigment industry; (2) the white-flesh radish is an ancestor of the red-flesh radish, which should be considered a variety in Raphanussativus, and (3) a low level of genetic diversity exists among the 37 accessions. The available radish germplasms should be expanded by creating new hybrid or introducing genes from other crops. Key words: Genetic diversity, karyotypes, Raphanus sativus, red pigment content, radish, simple sequence repeat.  
Highlights
Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), belonging to the family Cruciferae and genus Raphanus, is an important commercial root vegetable, with a cultivation history of more than 2700 years
To determine the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among red radishes, 37 accessions with different flesh colors were analyzed in terms of the red pigment content, karyotypes, and simple sequence repeat markers
The results indicated that (1) red radish is abundant in red radish, which is a valuable material in red pigment industry; (2) the white-flesh radish is an ancestor of the red-flesh radish, which should be considered a variety in Raphanussativus, and (3) a low level of genetic diversity exists among the 37 accessions
Summary
Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), belonging to the family Cruciferae and genus Raphanus, is an important commercial root vegetable, with a cultivation history of more than 2700 years. There are numerous Chinese radish genetic resources possesses numerous, and the vegetable can be differentiated based on root flesh size, shape, and color, as well as by leaf differences (Wang and He, 2005). Chinese radishes are classified according to root skin color, which can be white, red,or green with white or red flesh (Wang et al, 2015b). Red radish with white flesh (Figure 1B) is commonly grown in southern China, green radish with red flesh (redcore radish) (Figure 1C) is grown mainly in the north, and red radish with red flesh (Figure 1D) is indigenous to the Fuling region (Chen et al, 2014)
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