The analysis of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) was used to estimate genetic diversity in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) variety Hwachia and in 34 NaN3-induced mutants and 11 commercial varieties introduced from China. Eight primer combinations generated 516 DNA fragments of the tested mutants and introduced varieties, of which 448 fragments were polymorphic. The calculated Jaccard similarity coefficients based on AFLP data ranged from 0.47 to 0.84. The molecular profiles obtained from eight AFLP primer pairs indicated a high genetic diversity among Hwachia, NaN3-induced mutants and introduced varieties. The extent of genetic variation was slightly higher between Hwachia and NaN3-induced mutants than between Hwachia and introduced commercial varieties. These results, supported by cluster analysis, suggest that NaN3-induced mutagenesis effectively broadens the genetic diversity of common bean varieties. Some of the produced mutants could be useful as sources of variation to develop new improved common bean varieties.
genetic similarity; mutagenesis
