Assessment of genetic variability among Muskmelon (Cucumismelo L.) genotypes through biometrical traitsand molecular markers

Abstract

Fifty genotypes of muskmelon ( Cucumis melo L .) were evaluated for variability through yield attributing characters and molecular markers. Analysis of variance for yield attributing character showed significant variation for all the traits, indicating presence of sufficient variability. D 2 values distributed all the genotypes in seven clusters. Maximum genetic distance was obtained between clusters II and V, while clusters III and VII displayed the lowest degree of divergence. Total soluble sugars followed by total soluble solids and fruit yield per plant contributed the most towards divergence. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analysis using 130 and 62 primers generated 1108 and 462 discrete markers, respectively ranging from 200-1800 bp in size. The UPGMA analysis showed that genotypes were distributed in different groups based on similarities matrix. The dendrogram obtained by combining the data of both the molecular marker revealed genetic similarities ranging between 57% to 81% with highest genetic similarity between MM-68 and MMM-61. These results suggest that RAPD and ISSR markers are useful for muskmelon genetic diversity analysis from different region of India, which will be helpful for further genetic improvement program of plant. Knowledge on the genetic diversity of muskmelon can be used to future breeding programmes to improve fruit quality.