Frequency of RAPD Polymorphisms in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Germplasm in Different Geographic Regions

Introduction: The genetic diversity of melon groups has been characterized using molecular analyses (5, 6, & 8). Random amplified polymorphic DNA markers have been used by García et al. (1) and Staub et al. (7) to assess the genetic diversity of elite germplasm. Likewise, Mliki et al. (3) and Nakata (4) used the same markers employed by Staub et al. (7) to define the diversity among African and Japanese germplasm, respectively. Mliki et al. (3) determined genetic differences among African landraces and between these landraces and elite U.S./European melon market class accessions used by Staub et al. (7). Nakata et al. (3) assessed the genetic variation of major Japanese melon market classes (i.e., House, Earl’s and Oriental types), and then defined the genetic relationships between these market classes and a standard germplasm reference array (RA) drawn from accessions (Groups Cantaloupensis, Conomon, Inodorus, and Flexuosus) used by Staub et al. (7) and African landraces studied by Mliki et al. (3). We summarized herein the percentage of RAPD band presence within distinctly different geographic regions.