Marker assisted genetic diversity among Amaranthus Species through RAPD

Abstract

Amaranths have high nutritional value due to higher amount of protein (14-18%) with balanced essential amino acid and presence of phenolic content. It has high photosynthetic efficiency, low input requirements and high yield potential for grain vegetable and fodder production, and capacity to grow in diverse conditions such as water deficiency, salt stress, and soil mineral nutrient deficiency. Genetic diversity and relationships among 6 Amaranthus species were studied from different phyto geographic regions and analyzed using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. After screening of 20 RAPD (decamer) primer of operon family, 451amplicon produced ranging from 290bp to 3000bp in size, of which 408 were polymorphic while rest are monomorphic. The genetic similarity coefficient among all the Amaranthus species ranged from 0.10 to 1.0 with a mean similarity coefficient of 0.67, observed from arithmetic dendrogram, populations of the same species clustered together. The majority of polymorphism (96%) among Amaranthus Species demonstrates that variation occurs in the different populations of Amaranthus Sp.