Abstract
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) (Family: Zingiberaceae) is a perennial rhizomatous herbaceous plant often used as a spice since time immemorial. Turmeric plants are also widely known for its medicinal applications. Recently EST-derived SSRs (Simple sequence repeats) are a free by-product of the currently expanding EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) databases. SSRs have been widely applied as molecular markers in genetic studies. Development of high throughput method for detection of SSRs has given a new dimension in their use as molecular markers. A software tool SciRoKo was used to mine class I SSR in Curcuma EST database comprising 12953 sequences. A total of 568 non-redundant SSR loci were detected with an average of one SSR per 14.73 Kb of EST. Furthermore, trinucleotide was found to be the most abundant repeat type among 1-6-nucleotide repeat types. It accounted for 41.19% of the total, followed by the mononucleotide (20.07%) and hexanucleotide repeats (15.14%). Among all the repeat motifs, (A/T)n accounted for the highest proportion followed by (AGG)n. These detected SSRs can be greatly used for designing primers that can be used as markers for constructing saturated genetic maps and conducting comparative genomic studies in different Curcuma species.
Highlights
The genus Curcuma of the family Zingiberaceae constitutes 80 species all over Asia, South East Asia and Africa [1]
India is the world’s largest producer, and exporter of turmeric followed by China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand [4]
The development of reliable and reproducible molecular markers in turmeric is highly essential to assess the genetic diversity for germplasm conservation and crop improvement
Summary
The genus Curcuma of the family Zingiberaceae constitutes 80 species all over Asia, South East Asia and Africa [1]. Turmeric rhizome is valued world over and has been in use from ancient time as a spice, food preservative, coloring agent, and in the traditional systems of medicine [2]. Characterization of Curcuma longa using molecular markers is very limited excepting a few sporadic reports on isozyme studies and genetic stability studies using RAPD [5, 6]. It is a well-known fact that the genotypic diversity of exclusively asexually reproducing plants like turmeric will be lost in the long course of evolution. The development of reliable and reproducible molecular markers in turmeric is highly essential to assess the genetic diversity for germplasm conservation and crop improvement
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