<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Total investigation of the macro-and micromorphological features of <em>Citrus maxima</em> (Burm.) Merrill. In addition, DNA fingerprinting in this study was to estimate genetic polymorphism and relationships with another citrus viz: <em>Citrus paradise</em><strong> </strong>and <em>Citrus sinensis</em> based on RAPD and ISSR markers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>For the establishment of macro-and micromorphological investigation and genetic estimation, this study presents a total investigation of the macro-and micromorphological features of the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of the plants through microscopical investigation of the prepared entire, transverse sections and powdered forms of different organs under study. Furthermore, the DNA of the three plants was extracted from leaf samples and two types of DNA markers RAPD and ISSR were assayed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Macro-and micromorphological features of different organs were investigated. On the other hand Genetic polymorphism and relationships among <em>Citrus maxima</em>, <em>Citrus paradisi</em> and <em>Citrus sinensis</em> was revealed. The highest genetic similarity was between <em>Citrus maxima </em>and <em>Citrus paradisi</em> while the lowest similarity was between <em>Citrus paradisi</em> and <em>Citrus sinensis</em> as revealed by RAPD, ISSR and combined data.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>For the present study, macro and micro-morphological characters, as well as, DNA fingerprinting can be considered as the identifying parameters for authentication of <em>Citrus maxima</em> (Burm.) Merrill.</p>
Molecular Characterization of Saffron-Potential Candidates for Crop Improvement
