SUMMARY
Genetic polymorphism and relationships among 30 commercial varieties of Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) were established using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Out of fifty 10-mer RAPD primers screened initially, four were chosen and used in a comparative analysis of different varieties of indigenous Bangladeshi aromatic rice. Of the 33 total RAPD fragments amplified, 7 (21.21%) were found to be shared by individuals of all eight varieties. The remaining 26 fragments were found to be polymorphic (78.79%). Pair-wise estimates of similarity ranged from 0.101 to 0.911. Highest genetic diversity was determined between Radhunipagol and Dubsail varieties (0.911). The amount of genetic diversity within aromatic rice germplasm was quite high as determined by the genetic similarity coefficients between varieties. Genetic similarities obtained from RAPD data were also used to create a cluster diagram. Cluster analysis using an un-weighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) was used to group the varieties and the 30 aromatic rice varieties were grouped into 6 clusters where cluster I includes the maximum number of varieties (9). Cluster VI includes minimum number of varieties (2). This Study offered a rapid and reliable method for the estimation of variability between different varieties which could be utilized by the breeders for further improvement of the local aromatic rice varieties.