Genetic fingerprinting of Fijian kava

Abstract

DNA analysis of 15 kava cultivars with 20 primer pairs showed no observable difference in the fingerprint pattern. This indicates that while the Fijian kava cultivars have morphological differences, genetically they are very similar. Similar results have been obtained with Hawaiian kava cultivars. This result indicates that when studying diseases such as the dieback disease in kava, a focus on environmental factors may be needed as controlling factors of the diseases.