Molecular characterization of common olive varieties in Israel and the West Bank using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

Abstract

RAPD analysis was performed on the main traditional and introduced varieties of olive grown in Israel and the West Bank. Primers were identified and used in combination to discriminate between different varieties. Significant biodiversity was demonstrated among 'Nabali' olive trees growing along the central mountain ridge of the West Bank, suggesting that the grouping known as 'Nabali' is actually a mixture of genetically distinct variants. On the other hand, RAPD profiles of selected variants of 'Souri', cultivated mainly in the northern mountains of Israel, revealed a high degree of similarity, indicating that these variants represent environmental phenotypes of the same genome. Molecular differences were demonstrated between the 'Nabali' group variants and 'Souri'. Other more recently developed or introduced varieties showed individually distinct RAPD profiles. Possible future developments based on these data are mentioned.