RAPD molecular markers have revealed smaller genetic
diversity than the variation found by morpho-agricultural
analyses. Moreover, both datasets, namely RAPD and morphoagricultural
descriptions, have revealed that the genetic structure
among the studied genotypes is less similar, as seen by the low
value of the correlation between both markers. It is probably due to
the neutral character of RAPD markers as well as the small number
of botanical traits available for study. Therefore, it appears that
morphological characteristics have to be interpreted with caution,
especially colors (Briard et al., 2002). However, molecular markers
are favored in comparison to botanical descriptors due to its
feasibility, lower costs and the fact that they are not influenced by
the environment, thus, offering higher credibility to the results in
gerbera genetic studies. The markers may be directly employed to
drive crossings, to identify and molecularly characterize new
hybrid combinations. Therefore, both approaches to gerbera
genetic diversity in the present study are informative and may
be used together for this purpose