Estimation of 4C DNA and Karyotype Analysis in Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.). I.

Abstract

Extensive karyotype analysis including determination of somatic chromosome number, total chromosome length and volume and estimation of 4C DNA amount were carried out on 9 different cultivars of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rose.) for the first time. A significant variation in nuclear DNA amount was recorded at the cultivar level. The 4C DNA amount varied from 19.663-24.102 pg in the cultivars studied. The correlation coefficient studies showed that the 4C DNA content and genomic chromosome volume were interdependent. The structural alteration of chromosomes as well as loss or addition of highly repetitive sequences in the genome showed variation in the DNA amount at cultivar level, but a marginal variation in nuclear DNA content at the cultivar level indicated a close relationship between them.