Abstract

Two populations of Amaranthus retroflexus with different morphology were collected from field of the Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Serbia. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and seed protein analysis were performed to study the genetic differences in two grain Amaranthus populations. The studied populations have different protein and DNA profile. A total of 171 DNA fragments were generated by 31 RAPD primers, with an average of 5.5 fragments per primer. Of these, 61.4% fragments were polymorphic among the two populations. 18 protein fraction were obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE). The populations differed in the four protein fractions of different molecular weight. The seed protein electrophoresis and RAPD markers are useful for genetic determination of A. retroflexus populations and identification of biotypes with atypical morphology. 

Key words: Amaranthus retroflexus, biotypes, molecular markers, proteins.