Genetic Relationship of Cucumber Genotypes and Their Inbred Lines and Heterosisas Determined by RAPD Markers

Abstract

Cucumber, Cucumis sativus is a vegetable believed to have narrow genetic diversity. However, there is a increasing trend of using cucumber hybrids for production in developing countries. This sutudy aimed at assessing genetic distance among cucumber varieties and the derived inbred lines using RAPD markers in relation to the fruit yield of hybrid combinations among the inbred lines. Of 20 RAPD primers, 19 primers (95%) showed polymorphic patterns of PCR products. A total of 255 DNAs bands were obtained with an average of 1.2 DNA band per genotype. Five genetic groups were obtained when RAPD analysis at 20 loci. It also was indicated that a rather low genetic distance among both parental genotypes as well as among the derived inbreds, with values ranging from 0.2- 0.56 and 0 - 0.54, respectively. A positive correlation between the genetic distance among inbred lines and the fruit yield of hybrids was not observed.