Assessing the genetic diversity screening of pomegranate cultivars using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Abstract

Pomegranate is an important fruit crops in India and other parts of the world. The high genetic diversity among its cultivars is a potential tool for crop improvement. The genetic diversity of 24 cultivars /varieties of pomegranate was assessed using 120 RAPD markers. A total of 1017 amplicons were produced out of which 504 were polymorphic levels with an average number of polymorphic amplicons levels per primer being 31.5. Among the selected 16 polymorphic markers, 12 markers scored maximum number of polymorphic amplicons levels (46-65 amplicons) and could effectively detect the polymorphism between a set of seven pomegranate varieties. The neighbor-joining clustering generated using 16 random DNA markers clearly separated varieties /cultivars into six major clusters. This study revealed that RAPD fingerprinting can be used to develop robust and reliable SCAR types and RAPD markers can effectively be used to assess on-farm diversity.