Genome- and species-specific markers and genome relationships of diploid perennial species in Triticeae based on RAPD analyses.

Eight different genomes (E, H, I, P, R, St, W, and Ns) represented by 22 diploid species of the tribe Triticeae were analyzed using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The genome relationships were obtained based on 371 RAPD fragments produced with 30 primers. The four species of the genus Psathyrostachys (having various Ns genomes) were closely related. The genomes Ee and Eb had a similarly close relationship and were distinct from all other genomes analyzed. Genomes P, R, and St were grouped in one cluster and genomes H and I in another. Genome W had a distant relationship with all other genomes. These results agree with the conclusions from studies of chromosome pairing and isozyme and DNA sequence analyses. Twenty-nine and 11 RAPD fragments are considered to be genome- and species-specific markers, respectively. One to six genome-specific markers were identified for each genome. These RAPD markers are useful in studies of genome evolution, analysis of genome composition, and genome identification.