RAPD ANALYSIS OF THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF WILD BLUE HONEYSUCKLE (LONICERA CAERULEA) IN NORTHEAST CHINA

The genetic diversity of wild blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) native to northeastern China was assessed by RAPD technology. Sixty plants of 6 populations were analysed using 27 random primers. A total of 186 loci were detected among which 121 loci (65.05%) were polymorphic. Most of the variation was intra- population. The RAPD analysis showed that the smaller genetic distance was between the populations Yabuli and Yuchi while Wangqing and Mohe were the more distanced. The six populations were clustered into 3 groups: the populations of Boli, Wangqing, Yabuli and Yuchi clustered in a first group; the Wuying population formed the second group while the Mohe population, genetically more distanced from the other populations, formed the third main branch of the dendrogram.