Genetic relationships within the genus Beta determined using both PCR-based marker and DNA sequencing techniques

The sequences of ITS1 of the internal transcribed spacer regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA from 11 species or subspecies in four sections of the genus Beta were compared. Phylogeny of these wild beet taxa was inferred from the sequence data using phenetic and phylogenetic analyses. Multiple accessions from the same 11 taxa were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and the data were analysed phenetically. With both molecular techniques and each analysis, three distinctive groups were formed: species from section Beta formed one group; species from section Procumbentes formed a very distinct group; and species from both section Nanae and section Corollinae clustered together forming the third group, which is closer to Beta than to Procumbentes. The RAPD data revealed within-section interspecies relationships that are consistent with those reported previously; this was not always the case using the single-locus sequence data.