Genetic Diversity Analysis of Achillea fragrantissima (Forskal) Schultz Bip Populations Collected From Different Regions of Jordan Using RAPD Markers

Medicinal plants are still used traditionally to cure some illnesses. Achillea fragrantissima is among medicinal species used by rural communities in Jordan. The genetic diversity of this species was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers of five populations sampled from five locations in Jordan. Fifteen polymorphic primers were used for the construction of the dendrogram and the similarity matrix. A total of 2599 bands were obtained, 420 of them were polymorphic. Similarity values between the populations samples ranged from 0.58 between the samples of Madaba (1 population) to 0.02 between Shoubak (3 populations) and Mwaqqar (2 populations). High similarity values were also recorded between Madaba (1population) and Mafraq (1 population), two samples of Ma'an (3), two samples of Madaba (1), two samples of Mwaqqar, Mafraq (1), and Madaba (1) populations with values from 0.54 to 0.49, respectively. Four main clusters were obtained based on UPGMA dendrogram. Both Mwaqqar2 and Ma'an 3 populations formed separate subclusters. This emphasizes the presence of genetic diversity among the studied populations. RAPD analysis has the ability to discriminate between Achillea fragrantissima populations. © 2011 Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved