Genetic fingerprinting is often used as a single phrase, but the application matters. A breeding workflow, a cultivar identity workflow, and a relatedness workflow may use similar tools while answering different questions.
Confusion starts when those questions get mixed together. Identity asks whether samples are the same or different. Relatedness asks how close they are. Population context asks where they sit in a broader dataset.
Separate the question first
- Identity: do these samples match?
- Relatedness: how close are these samples?
- Context: where does this sample sit among others?
- Documentation: what record should be preserved around the result?