Heterogeneity of random amplified polymorphic DNA sequences in individual seedlings and bulked samples of four cultivars of Brassica napus

Abstract

AbstractUsing four different random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers, a qualitative and quantitative assessment was made of the level of DNA sequence heterogeneity present in the seedlings of four representative Australian rapeseed cultivars. It was found that, depending upon the primer/cultivar combination, the seedlings diverged from total homogeneity to almost complete heterogeneity. The increase or decrease of sample‐specific RAPD sequences was evaluated in proportional mixtures of DNA from individual seedlings. These results were then compared with those obtained from bulked DNA samples containing DNA from all the seedlings of a cultivar. From these comparisons, it was found that for a specific RAPD to be detectable in a bulked sample, the particular polymorphism had to be present in at least 15% of the individual seedlings. Even so, the bulked samples produced cultivar‐specific RAPD banding patterns with all four primers, showing that any of these primers could be used to identify the different rapeseed cultivars. In contrast to the cultivars ‘Oscar’, ‘Dunkeld’ and ‘Narendra’, the cultivar ‘Rainbow’ was found to be highly heterogeneous—as shown by a diversity of RAPD combinations rather than the presence of differing length RAPDs—and it is suggested that this heterogeneity may be related to the improved tolerance of this cultivar to blackleg infection.