Genetic variation of Hippeastrum accessions in Vietnam

The present study was conducted to clarify the distribution and genetic diversity of Hippeastrum accessions cultivated in Vietnam. Twenty-five Hippeastrum accessions collected from 17 provinces in the northern, central, and southern regions of Vietnam were included. Results of floral observation and RAPD analysis indicate that there are four distinct groups of Hippeastrum being grown in Vietnam. These include cam dai (H. puniceum (Lam.) Kuntze syn. H. equestre Herbert), do dai (H. x 'Johnsonii'), do cam dai (H. striatum Lamarck), and the hybrid cultivars. In the RAPD analysis result, 25 primers produced a total of 230 distinct bands, of which 167 were polymorphic (about 72.6%). The number of polymorphisms per primer ranged from 1 to 13, and one primer did not reveal any polymorphisms. Our phytogeny indicated four separate groups, with dissimilarity values ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 according to the phyl-ogeny based on RAPD results. Some variation was observed between northern, central, and southern H. puniceum populations. Extensive variation in flower color, shape, and size was detected among accessions of the hybrid group. While H puniceum is the most widely distributed species from the northern to the southern regions, H. x 'Johnsonii' has been observed only in the northern region, but not in the central or southern regions, so the distribution of Hippeastrum within Vietnam might depend on adaptation to environmental conditions. Our results have distinguished the do dai and the cam dai groups, although a single scientific name has been applied to both extant groups in Vietnam. The present study is the first report on the presence and distribution of, and genetic variation among Hippeastrum accessions grown in Vietnam, which will be valuable information for Hippeastrum breeding programs.