Abstract

Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) is one of the most important commercial crops in the world.During the last two decades, molecular markers have entered the scene of genetic improvement in different fields of agricultural research. The principles and characteristics of several molecular markers such as RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, microsatellites and minisatellites applied in tobacco genetics and breeding were reviewed. The application and development of molecular marker in tobacco genetic research was presented emphatically in the following areas: evolutionary genetics, population genetics and genotyping of cultivars, mapping and tagging of genes, and diversity analysis of germplasm. Finally, the perspective of molecular marker’s application in tobacco genetic breeding in the future was discussed.

Key words: Molecular marker, tobacco, genetic and breeding.