Mutation rates in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) from the Chernobyl exclusion zone evaluated with amplified fragment-length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and microsatellite markers

► Somatic mutations in pines exposed to high radiation were investigated. ► Pines from the Chernobyl zone were compared to control material of the same origin. ► SSR and AFLP markers were used to reveal changes in mutation rates. ► No significant differences in the mutation rates of SSRs were observed. ► Three-fold increase in number of mutations was found by the use of AFLP markers.