Assessment of the Genetic Diversity in Iranian Fennels by RAPD Markers

Bitter fennel has been cultivated since antiquity by local gardeners in different parts of Iran, that with regard to climate are remarkably diverse. In this study, 25 fennel ecotypes were collected from different parts of Iran, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to perform polymerase chain reaction. Ten RAPD primers were used that amplified 80 fragments, of which 72 were polymorphic. The highest and lowest similarity coefficients among the ecotypes were between Sari and Kaleibar and between Hamedan and Ardabil. A relationship between fennel ecotypes with their geographical distributions and the climate condition was proved by two methods of clustering.