Population genetic diversity of wild soybeans on the Kanto plain, Japan

摘要

Wild soybeans (Glycine soja Sieb. and Zucc.) are common throughout Japan as far north as latitude 42°40' N, Hokkaido. To better understand the diversity of various wild species, with the objective of determining in situ conservation strategies, we have applied PCR methodology. Randomly amplified polymorphic DMA markers (RAPDs) permit analysis of small scale variation in populations so these markers were used to determine inter- and intra-population diversity of Glycine soja. Ten populations within a20 km radius of Tsukuba(140°5' E, 36°2' N), 50km northeast of Tokyo, were sampled. All populations were quite small 1ha or less, and mainly in disturbed habitats. Seeds from 10 individuals per population were sown in a greenhouse and leaves sampled when plants had reached the 15-20 leaf stage. DMA was extracted using standard protocol for leaf tissue of between 0.5g and 1g (Williams et al., 1991). Extracted DNA was standardised to 5ng/ul. RAPDs were generated using standard protocol (Williams et al.,1991) on a Techne PHC-3 thermocyler and visualized on starch gels stained with ethidium bromide.