Genetic diversity analysis of Trichoderma isolates using SSR marker

Abstract

Trichoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae that is found in all types of soils and is the most common culturable fungus. They occur worldwide and can be easily isolated from soil, plant organic matter and decaying wood etc. It is a well-known aggressive biocontrol agent and has a higher potential for reproduction and colonization. As the diversity and characteristics of Trichoderma species are difficult to determine using morphological methods, henceforth molecular tools are crucial. This study utilized Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) technique to investigate the genetic diversity of Trichoderma isolates. In this study, the genetic diversity among fourteen Trichoderma isolates (TBT- 01 to TBT- 14) was evaluated using ten SSR markers. Rhizospheric soil samples from various locations of Uttar Pradesh were collected and subjected to serial dilution and plating on a Trichoderma Selective Media. The DNA was isolated from the isolates and subjected to PCR amplification using ten SSR primers. The study revealed, a total of fifteen alleles obtained across the ten primers of which thirteen alleles were polymorphic and two monomorphic. The Jaccard’s similarity coefficient calculated ranged from 0.429 to 0.929. The dendrogram constructed using the NTSYS software divided the isolates into major and minor clusters. The minor cluster comprised only one isolate TBT- 05 while the major cluster comprised of the other thirteen isolates. The study revealed a significant level of genetic diversity among the isolates.