Genetic fingerprinting of natural kikuyu populations in Australia

Abstract

Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) is an important grass for the dairy and beef industries of the subtropics of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand (Mears 1970). Even though Parker (1941) recognised clonal variation in Australian material in the 1930s, Mears concluded that it would now be diffi cult to distinguish between the different ecotypes introduced into Australia from Africa. Screening of natural populations selected from diverse regions within Australia for the genetic relatedness was part of a study to evaluate their innate variation