Evaluation of RFLP and RAPD markers in a comparison of Brassica napus breeding lines

RFLP and RAPD markers were evaluated and compared for their ability to determine genetic relationships in a set of three Brassica napus breeding lines. Using a total of 50 RFLP and 92 RAPD markers, the relatedness between the lines was determined. In total, the RFLP and the RAPD analysis revealed more than 500 and 400 bands, respectively. The relative frequencies of loci with allele differences were estimated from the band data. The RFLP and RAPD marker sets detected very similar relationships among the three lines, consistent with known pedigree data. Bootstrap analyses showed that the use of approximately 30 probes or primers would have been sufficient to achieve these relationships. This indicates that RAPD markers have the same resolving power as RFLP markers when used on exactly the same set of B. napus genotypes. Since RAPD markers are easier and quicker to use, these markers may be preferred in applications where the relationships between closely-related breeding lines are of interest. The use of RAPD markers in fingerprinting applications may, however, not be warranted, and this is discussed in relation to the reliability of RAPD markers.