Abstract
Jatropha is largely a semi-wild plant under domestication. There is wide variation in morphological and agro- nomic traits of Jatropha. There are several endeavours to improve the genetic quality of Jatropha. Various seed yield ranges have been reported for Jatropha, for example, 0.4 - 12 t ha -1 . Proper identification and characterisation of the plant's germplasm is central in genetic improvement of the plant. This paper evaluates the utility of markers for determi- nation of genetic diversity in Jatropha. Several marker techniques are available for genetic characterisation of Jatropha. These include morphological and DNA-based markers. DNA-based markers such as RAPD, AFLP, RFLP, SSR and ISSR have been applied in evaluation of genetic diversity in Jatropha. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and limitations that determine its applicability in plant genetic diversity studies. This paper recommends application of a com- bination of markers as a reliable approach for determination of intra-specific genetic diversity in Jatropha.
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