RAPD-based assessment of genetic diversity among annual caraway (Carum carvi) populations

For the first time, genetic variability and differentiation among five annual caraway (Carum carvi) populations originating from Tunisia, Germany and Egypt were examined. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker data were obtained and analysed with respect to genetic diversity, population structure and gene flow. Fourteen primers generated a total of 136 discernible and reproducible bands across the analyzed populations, out of which 56 were polymorphic. The UPGMA cluster analysis permitted the discrimination of all the genotypes and their sorting into 3 main groups. Tunisian caraway populations diverged significantly from German and Egyptian ones. Population clustering was made dependently from geographic origin. This has been further explained at the DNA level as we were able to select a set of RAPD fingerprints unique to each of the studied populations. Furthermore, dimensional graph derived from factorial analysis of RAPD frequency data, allowed significant grouping of the genotypes into five sub-plots, representing each one population. Shannon's index values showed that variation ranks between rather than within populations. These results indicated that considerable genetic differences among C. carvi populations were registered.