The existing molecular genetic maps of the tomato, Lycopersicon spp, are constructed based on isozyme and RFLP polymorphisms between tomato species. These maps are useful for certain applications but have few markers that exhibit sufficient polymorphisms for intraspecific analysis and manipulations within the cultivated tomato. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative potential of RAPD technology, as compared to isozymes and RFLPs, to generate polymorphic DNA markers within cultivated tomatoes. Sixteen isozymes and 25 RFLP clones that were known to detect polymorphism between L. esculentum and L. pennellii, and 313 random oligonucleotide primers were examined. None of the isozymes and only four of the RFLP clones (i.e., 16%) revealed polymorphism between the cultivated varieties whereas up to 63% of the RAPD primers detected one or more polymorphic DNA fragments between these varieties. All RAPD primers detected polymorphism between L. esculentum and L. pennellii genotypes. These results clearly indicate that RAPD technology can generate sufficient genetic markers exploiting sequence differences within cultivated tomatoes to facilitate construction of intraspecific genetic maps.