Abstract: To assess the relationships among 26 species in Roegneria C. Koch, 34 random decamer primers were screened for RAPD fragments. 28 primers produced polymorphic RAPD products. Data from 16 primers were used for RAPD assay. By NTSYS-pc program, Jaccard' s genetic similarity coefficients were generated and dendrogram was constructed using UPGMA. It is concluded as follows: (1) Distinct genetic differences and extensive genetic diversity were present among the species. (2) There were some genetic differences between StY and StYH genomes, and StY and StYH had a certain degree of differentiations respectively which were related to geographic regions, the farther the geographic distribution between species, the less the similarity to each other. (3) When different accessions in a species, such as species with similar morphological characters, homologous genomes and similar geographic distribution, were clustered together respectively, it suggusted that they had closer relationships. (4) The awnless species R. alashanica Keng and R. magnicaespes (D. F. Cui) L. B. Cai, in Roegneria, were separated from the other species analysed in this study, indicating that these two species had intensive genetic differences from the others. (5) R. caucasica C. Koch, a species from Western Asia, was quite different from the other species contained StY genomes in Roegneria from Eastern Asia and Central Asia. (6) The results were in consistance with that of the analysis of morphology and chromosome pairing in the taxonomic treatments for R. ciliaris (Trin) Nevski and R. japonensis (Honda) Keng, R. tenuispica J. L. Yang et Y. H. Zhou and R. pendulina Nevski, and R. tsukushiensis (Honda) Ohwi and R. kamoji Ohwi. The present study discussed the usefulness of RAPD markers in the systematic study of Roegneria.

Key words: RAPD, Roegneria, Relationship, Genetic diversity, Cluster analysis