Assessment of seed genetic purity of hybrid maize variety UH6303 in southern highlands of Tanzania by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

One of the main features that give high quality to seeds is its genetic purity. Up to date, seed certification for genetic purity using molecular markers has not yet employed in seed certification system in Tanzania. This work was carried out to assess the seed genetic purity of hybrid maize UH6303 using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Hybrids UH6303 and their parental lines (47 genotypes) were used in this study. DNA extracted from young leaves and PCR were conducted using seventeen primers. In total, 134 bands produced and all 134 bands were polymorphic. Genetic similarity ranged from 0.09 to 0.99. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient grouped the genotypes into two major clusters; one cluster contained 42 genotypes and the other cluster contained five genotypes. Two dimensional PCA grouped the genotypes into two major clusters. The varieties which were considered to be genetically identical were found to be different.   Key words: Maize, seed genetic purity, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers.