Selection of amplified fragment length polymorphism markers for investigation of genetic diversity of impatiens parviflora

Abstract

Small Balsam (Impatiens parviflora) is an invasive annual usually 30-60 cm height plant with pale yellow flowers, which has red spots on the inside. Impatiens parviflora is a native of Central Asia, this species is widely distributed in eastern, central and northern European countries and it is one of the most invasive species in the continent [1]. The objective of this study was to select amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers for investigation of genetic diversity of Impatiens parviflora. Four individuals were chosen randomly from European populations and were used to screen AFLP primer combinations. Fragment analysis was performed on an ABI 3130 genetic analyser using GeneScan LIZ 500 as internal size standard. Peaks were scored manually in the range of 50-500 bp using GeneMapper version 3.7. In total 32 primer combinations were screened. Eight fluorescent labelled primers (FAM-AAC/CTC, VIC-ACG/CAC, NED-ACC/CAC, PET-AGG/CAC and FAM-AAC/CTG, VIC-ACG/CAT, NED-AAG/CAG, PET-AGC/CAC) were selected according to generated peak height and their distance from each other. We eliminated primers, which composed low peaks or generated peaks were too close to each other or too distant from each other, as it was described by Kloss et al., 2011 [2]. Results revealed that chosen AFLP markers are valuable for estimation of genetic diversity of Impatiens parviflora populations.