Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

P91

ANALYSIS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY BETWEEN 20 SPECIES OF VITIS USING FLUORESCENT AFLP ANALYSIS

1. Genetics Research, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Modesto, CA 95353
2. USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456

A large number of Vitis species are native to North America. In addition, there are a number of non-cultivated, indigenous species found throughout the world. They represent genetic material that contain genes of potential agronomic and economic importance, such as insect and disease resistance or tolerance to environmental stresses. Sixty-six accessions of Vitis, representing 20 species, obtained from the USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, were analyzed using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) method. Initial analysis was done to determine the relationships between these species and the level of genetic diversity. A total of 64 primer pairs were evaluated on five representative species. The 14 most informative pairs, based on the number and size range of amplified fragments, were selected to be used for analyzing the remaining species. AFLP was done using the Perkin-Elmer/Applied Biosystems Plant Fluorescent AFLP kit. Amplification products were run on an ABI Prism 377 automated fluorescent sequencer. Gels were analyzed and data extracted with Genescan v2.1. The data was exported into GelCompar (Applied Maths) for analysis. The total number of bands amplified ranged from 700-900 depending on the species. Analysis was done using the DICE similarity coefficient and linkage levels determined using the UPGMA clustering algorithm. Preliminary analysis with 3 primer pairs indicate four major groups can be identified with this method.