Identification of olive (Olea europaea L.) genotypes using SSR and RAPD markers.

Identification of olive (Olea europaea L.) genotypes using SSR and RAPD markers SSR and RAPD markers were used to identify DNA fingerprints of 100 accessions of olive trees (Olea europaea L.) from the National Olive Variety Assessment (NOVA) collection, located at the University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus (South Australia). The markers were compared for their ability to discriminate between genotypes and their level of polymorphism per marker. The results were similar for both types of markers, and it was shown that several cultivars in the collection had similar genotypes. However, SSRs were more discriminatory as more genotypes were identified with these, than with RAPD markers. The DNA fingerprints collected have been used for the construction of a genetic database that was used to identify eight out of ten presumed Mission olive cultivar samples obtained from cultivated olives planted around the early Mission sites in the USA.