Assessing genetic diversity of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) populations from China by RAPD markers

Genetic diversity and differentiation of nine populations of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) from China were evaluated using RAPD. Of 47 clear and repeatable RAPD bands, 46 were polymorphic (overall polymorphism = 97.9%). A ranged from 1.57 to 1.83 with a mean of 1.75. Mean H _e was 0.3159 (0.2429-0.3603). The Shannon index ranged from 0.3432 to 0.5119 with a mean of 0.4489. The G _ST was 0.1609 and AMOVA analysis indicated 89% of the variation within populations. UPGMA clustered the 9 populations into two groups: one containing only population JF and the other including 8 populations. Genetic diversity and differentiation of Chinese populations were higher than those of Korean and North American populations, which are ultimately descended from China, as reported previously.