Differentiation of poplar and willow clones using RAPD fingerprints

The technique of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was used to differentiate species and identify clones of 15 poplar and 15 willow clones (ramets of three poplar clones were also included to verify the stability of the results). Four random DNA primers (Deca-11, Chl-1, Chl-4 and Chl-10) and an M13 universal primer were used to determine DNA polymorphism among the clones. Based on the DNA banding pattern obtained with the four DNA primers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification we conclude that RAPD fingerprinting with properly selected primers can be used for clonal and species differentiation of poplar and willow. The technique is simple, accurate and inexpensive.