Study of Genetic Diversity among the Seeded Banana Found in the Northeast Region of India by RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) Analysis

Abstract

The RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) technique was used to evaluate the genetic variation among twenty one wild bananas found in the northeastern region. Out of the ten primers used eight give 100% polymorphism. Among the ten primers used UBC-425 gives the highest polymorphic information content, resolving power as well as highest marker index. The highest dissimilarity index was obtained between the sample MZ1 (Changkha from Mizoram) and AR12 (kutikol from Arunachal) scoring the dissimilarity index of 0.85 whilst the lowest/highest dissimilarity/similarity was found between AS13 and AS14 (Athiakol and Bhimkol from Assam) scoring the dissimilarity index of 0.17. This result indicates that AS13 and AS14 were more closely related as compared with all the other accessions studied while MZ1 and AR12 were highly dissimilar. Dendrogram based on Nei’s coefficient reveals two major groups which were again sub-grouped into six minor clusters. The dendrogram was not able to clearly distinguish the different genome groups in the study. The study reveals significant level of diversity among the wild bananas studied and it could be utilized for future conservation and sustainable utilization of the genetic resources.