Using RAPD markers to identify genets of an arable grass weed, Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum

摘要

RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) markers were used to identify genets within a weed infestation of Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. bulbosum (onion couch) in a wheat field in Crudwell, Wiltshire (UK) in 1992. Three selected primers discriminatedbetween 18 sexually-derived plants of A. elatius subsp. elatius. Using these primers, RAPD phenotypes were obtained for ramets of subsp. bulbosum from a population of unknown sexual derivation, i.e. predominantly sexual or vegetative. Thirty-three RAPD phenotypes were observed among 65 plants. Ramets with identical RAPD phenotypes were termed genets. Some genets of subsp. bulbosum were found in localized patches, whereas others had much wider ranges, indicating long-distance dispersal by farm machinery.RAPD markers provide a useful tool for discriminating between genets within an established plant population.