以RAPD法檢測薯蕷屬(Dioscorea)18個品系山藥藥材的基原。以30個隨機引子進行聚合?t連鎖反應增幅山藥藥材葉子之 DNA。30 個引子中的 18 個引子可產生 237 個基因標誌。 其中的四個引子 OPP-40，OPP-15， OPAP-04 及 OPAP-10 可用於區分這 18 個品系之山藥藥材。計算品系間之相似與相異係數及分群分析可建構品系間之基因親綠關係圖，並可將 18 個品系分為 5 個次群。 基因相似及相異度分析顯示 70W37 品系與 70W47 品系差異較大，而 70W41 品系則與 70W59 品系較為相似。本研究已成功的應用 RAPD 法鑑定及區別薯蕷屬的 18 個品系山藥藥材。

　　　　　The botanical origins of Chinese drug materials in yams were examinedamong eighteen cultivarities/species of Dioscorea by randomly amplifiedpolymorphic DNA (RAPD). DNA isolated from fresh leaves were used as a templatein polymerase chain reactions (PCR) using thiry random decamer primers. Eighteenprimers produced 237 polymorphic RAPD markers. which were scored for all thelines studied. Four primers including OPP-04, OPP-15, OPAP-04 and OPAP-10, coulddistinguish all tested samples. Genetic distances and similarities amongeighteen cultivarities/species were calculated, and a cluster analysis was usedto generate a dendrogram showing a phylogenetic relationship. The studiedDioscorea species could be divided into five subgroups by phylogenetic analysis.Genetic distance and similarity analysis showed that line 70W37 was distantlyrelated to 70W47, and line 70W41 was closely related to 70W59. RAPD techniquecould be successfully applied for the rapid identification and differentiationof Dioscorea species.