We used markers based on inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) to examine the genetic
diversity of Aspergillus flavus from peanut-cropped soils in China. Of the 100 primers, 22
primers produced clear and reproducible ISSR bands, and the di-nucleotide accounted for
73% of those primers. The size of DNA fragments ranged from 100 to 2000 bp. The primer
UBC 834 produced the largest number of polymorphic bands (10), followed by UBC 809,
UBC 817, UBC 895, and UBC 899, which all amplified 7 polymorphic bands. Using the five
primers, the tested strains were clearly separated based on genetic similarity coefficients
(GSC). The range of GSC was from 0.59 to 0.90. In unweighted pair-group method with
arithmetic averages (UPGMA) analysis, the A. flavus samples grouped in five clusters. The
study showed that the ISSR technology is an effective molecular approach for studying
diversity of A. flavus from peanut-cropped soils in China.