Information about patterns of genetic diversity in wild relatives of crop species can be used for the improvement of genetic properties of new cultivars. Forty-nine wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) clonal accessions collected from different locations in Lithuania and currently maintained in the field collection of Vilnius University Botanical Garden were examined by comparing the variation of morphological traits, RAPD markers and geographical distribution of the original locations. Thirteen morphological and 48 polymorphic RAPD markers were assessed in this study. Six preselected oligonucleotide primers produced highly polymorphic and reproducible RAPD patterns. By means of RAPD fingerprints generated using at least two primers, all the plants studied were genotyped. The UPGMA dendrogram demonstrated a high level of genetic variation among accessions. The Euclidean and molecular genetic distance matrices were calculated using morphological and RAPD data, respectively. A correlation between morphological and molecular variation was assessed. A weak but significant correlation between matrices created on the basis of molecular (RAPD) and morphological data was observed (r = 0,073; p = 0.012). A slight but significant correlation was established between Nei and Li’s genetic distance matrix and the Euclidean geographical distance matrix (r = 0.123; p = 0.001). Results of the study are intended for the management and utilization of genetic resources of wild raspberry.

Keywords: Rubus idaeus, raspberry, RAPD, morphological variation, genetic resources, collection