Abstract
Genetic diversity and relationships of 15 Amaranthus species were examined by using both morphological traits and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Ten morphological observations were recorded out of which seven were subjected to analysis of variance. Mean squares due to genotypes were highly significant. Wide mean range performance was observed for number of effective tillers per plant (9 to 12.3), spike length (16.7 to 42.4 cm), spike mass (16.2 to 24.5 g), seed yield per plant (6.4 to 16.6 g), biological yield per plant (19.8 to 28.6 g), harvest index (32.9 to 57.1%) and seed protein content (15.75 to 16.49). RAPD analysis has been carried out using 12 arbitrary sequence decamer primers. Seventy four amplicons were obtained out of which 58 were polymorphic and the level of polymorphism was 78.3%. The average number of polymorphic bands per primer was 4.8. From the RAPD data, an unweighted pair-group method arithmetic (UPGMA) dendrogram illustrating the genetic relationship among fifteen genotypes were computed. The trends of genotypes relationship amongst the Amaranths spp. determined by RAPDs are consistent with their morphological traits. Key words: Amaranthus, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), genetic relationship, polymorphism.
Highlights
Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs of the Amaranthaceae family
Genetic diversity and relationships of 15 Amaranthus species were examined by using both morphological traits and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
An investigation was conducted to determine the extent of diversity and relationships among the Amaranthus genotypes based on morphological characteristics
Summary
Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs of the Amaranthaceae family. 60 species of the genus Amaranthus have been recognized. The word Amaranthus has its origin from the Greek word amarantos, meaning “one that does not wither” or the “never fading”. Amaranthus shows a wide variety of morphological diversity among and even within certain species. The chromosome number of Amaranthus is 2n=34. Several species are grown for grain in Asia and America. It is scattered throughout Asia, India, Africa and the Caribbean. The production levels of amaranth are not known. Recent research indicates that under cultivated conditions, Amaranth produces fresh leaf yields of up to 40 t/ha. The yield of grain amaranth is highly variable with 1000 kg/ha considered a good yield
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