A low-copy-number Sorghum DNA sequence that detects hypervariable EcoRV fragments.

A sorghum genomic DNA clone that hybridized on Southern blots in simple but different patterns to fragments produced by digestion of DNA from the parents of an F2 mapping population was hybridized to EcoRV-digested DNA from 53 accessions. Forty-six different fragment patterns were observed, each comprised of from one to ten bands. Much less variability was detected in EcoRI than EcoRV digests of a selected subset of the accessions. Base-sequence analysis of the clone did not reveal a functional identity for the sequence and the clone does not contain repeated sequences often associated with hypervariable loci. Clones such as this will be especially useful in evaluating germplasm diversity and in identifying the potential parentage of hybrids.