Morphological traits and molecular markers for classification of Echinochloa species from Italian rice fields

Abstract

Abstract The relationship among 80 different Echinochloa accessions were studied in 2000–2002 by applying amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis and examining the main morphological traits of these plants. The plants were collected from 40 different areas in which the main rice-growing region of northern Italy was divided on the basis of uniform environmental and agronomical conditions. Echinochloa accessions were grouped in three different species (E. crus-galli, E. erecta, E. phyllopogon) according to Pignatti's classification key and in four different species according to Carretero's taxonomy (E. crus-galli, E. hispidula, E. oryzicola, and E. oryzoides). The E. crus-galli accessions clustered as a specific group under both AFLP analysis and morphological traits analysis carried out according to Pignatti's and Carretero's keys. AFLP analysis revealed a separate group containing two accessions with a green basal stem section. These were classified as E. crus-galli by Pignatti's taxonomy a...