The analysis of genetic diversity of Salix viminalis genotypes as a potential source of biomass by RAPD markers

The common osier (Salix viminalis L.) is one of the several hundred species of the genus Salix across the world and one of the several dozen representatives of this genus in Europe. It is also one of the Salix species which, owing to its immense biomass production potential may be the main source of renewable energy in the future. The interest in plant biomass production has been growing in recent years with emphasis on new, genetically modified and more productive cultivars of energy crops, including the osier.RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) markers were used to determine the degree of genetic diversity and genetic similarity among 19 genotypes of common osier (Salix viminalis L.) from the collection of the Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Production in view of their suitability for energy production purposes. For further investigation, 38 primers generating stable band patterns from 60 tested arbitrary primers were selected. A total of 210 amplification products were obtained, of which 94% were polymorphic. The genetic similarity index of the studied forms ranged from 0.519 to 0.891. Nei's genetic distance values were used to generate a dendrogram (UPGMA) of genetic distance between the investigated genotypes which is used to identify suitable forms for crossing and selecting input material for creative breeding.