Application of the random amplified polymorphic DNA technique in a study of heterosis in common carp, <i>Cyprinus carpio</i> L.

Abstract

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied to three varieties of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.: Xingguo red carp, German mirror carp and Russian mirror carp. Twenty-seven decamer primers pre-screened from 40 random primers were used to assay polymorphisms within and between the populations. One hundred and ninety-nine fragments were generated in the three populations; 155 of these fragments were polymorphic. The similarity indices and genetic distances within and between the three populations of carp were calculated. The results indicated that the highest value of similarity within populations was obtained for German mirror carp, and the genetic distance between Xingguo red carp and Russian mirror carp was the farthest. It can be presumed that the heterosis between Xingguo red carp and Russian mirror carp is the highest within these three populations.