The genetic diversity of Coffea arabic L. cultivars is relatively narrow and its assessment and increase is important for breeding. Fifty two arbitrary primers were used to evaluate the reproducibility and the influence of the number of RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers on the estimation of genetic distances among 40 genotypes of Coffea spp. The average number of polymorphic bands was 6.69 per primer among all genotypes, and 1.27 among arabica coffee genotypes. RAPD markers were efficient in estimating the genetic distances among the genotypes. The increase in RAPD loci number during grouping analysis did not affect the major groups’ composition; however, it affected the composition of subgroups. Marker reproducibility was 76.88% and replicated data was recommended for distinguishing genotypes with the same genetic background.
