Orchids of the Phalaenopsis genus are very popular ornamental flower plants in the world, due to their attractive phenotypic appearance and long lifespan. This makes orchids of the Phalaenopsis genus have a high selling price and become one of the promising commodities in the flower industry. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity of Phalaenopsis orchids using RAPD markers. Six species collected from the Bungarinte Orchid Garden were analysed through DNA isolation, amplification, and electrophoresis at the Genetics Lab, Gadjah Mada University. The percentage of genetic diversity of Phalaenopsis spp. analysed by 5 RAPD primers ranged from 29% to 73%, with the division into 2 main clusters. The RAPD primer successfully amplified Phalaenopsis spp with a high polymorphism of 82%-100%. The study concludes that Phalaenopsis venosa and Phalaenopsis amboinensis showed the highest similarity (0.71), indicating good cross-compatibility but low genetic diversity, highlighting the need for inter-cluster crosses to enhance hybrid variation.
Hartati et al. (Thu,) studied this question.