Analysis of genetic diversity in linseed using AFLP markers

Abstract

Linseed ( Linum usitatissimum L.) is the second most important oilseed crop in the highlands of Ethiopia where it has been cultivated for its valuable seed-oil since antiquity. Sixty accessions of linseed predominantly from Ethiopia were analysed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to assess their genetic diversity. Out of seven pairs of AFLP primers screened, Ec o-ACA/ Mse -CAT and Eco -ACA/ Mse -CTT resulted in a greater number of amplification products. The estimated genetic distance for pairwise accessions significantly (P Key words/phrases : AFLP, DNA markers, genetic diversity, linseed SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Vol. 28 (1) 2005: 41–50