Phylogenetic analysis of Gossypium hirsutum (cotton) from the Caribbean Basin and Florida

The objective of this research was to determine if the wild Gossypium hirsutum of Florida is derived from Gossypium populations from the Caribbean. A common characteristic among the accessions chosen from each of the major Caribbean islands was their habitat location next to the sea. Also included were G. hirsutum race yucatanense from Mexico and G. tomentosum from Hawaii as references for wild genotypes. The DNA was screened for genetic variation by AFLP. Six primer combinations yielded 243 scorable DNA fragments of which 89 were polymorphic. Genetic diversity was evaluated using neighbor joining analysis. The presence of markers common among all of the accessions demonstrates their common origin before their dispersal to different ecosystems. The plants most genetically similar to the Florida samples were from Jamaica. Almost all of the Florida samples clustered together showing that they followed a different evolutionary path than their Caribbean counterparts after they inhabited Florida.