Abstract
RFLP analysis of PCR products from a variable region of the chloroplast genome was conducted to determine their potential for use in phylogenic studies of the genus Diospyros. The target region of cpDNA was reliably amplified by the procedure of Arnold et al. (1991) from all 14 Diospyros species tested. When restriction fragment polymorphisms of amplified products were examined at the intraspecific level with 10 endonucleases (Ase I, Bfa I, Bst NI, Dde I, Msp I, Nco I, Rsa I, Scr FI, Sty I, and Taq I), 15 cultivars of persimmon (D. kaki) and 3 horticultural varieties of D. lotus were monomorphic within species. However, restriction fragment polymorphisms were observed at the interspecific level. The 14 Diospyros species tested could be divided into 6 groups by the digestion patterns with ScrF I, 5 groups with Bst NI or Taq I, 4 groups with Bfa I or Sty I, 3 groups with Ase I, Dde I, or Nco I, 2 groups with Msp I or Rsa I. These results clearly indicated that the present analysis method is extremely valuable for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies at the interspecific level of the genus Diospyros.
