XVI International Botanical Congess

Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD's) were used to identify varieties of American beachgrass including the USDA/NRCS released 'Cape" strain. Of 20 random ten-base primers (Operon kit A) tested in PCR reactions on 7 lines of beachgrass with a range from Massachusetts to South Carolina, over half were informative. Using primers A04, A15, and A08, the 7 lines could be unambiguously separated from each other. In results from further collections, Atlantic City, NJ plants were identical with the Cape strain and were undoubtedly from recent plantings. While a few plants from Ocean Sands NC resembled the Hatteras strain (NC/AES)this group showed a high degree of variation indicating that the population was both wild and genetically diverse. Plants from Cape Cod, MA were very similar to the Cape strain and will need additional primers to resolve.