Unveiling genetic diversity in Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri using RAPD markers

Abstract

Genetic diversity among sixteen isolates of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri was examined with 25 RAPD primers. Out of the 25 primers screened, 21 primers amplified well and generated scorable bands with high polymorphism. A total of 252 amplicons were generated, of which 247 were polymorphic and 5 were monomorphic, and hence a 98.02% level of polymorphism. The banding pattern ranged from a minimum of 7 bands (OPA-15) to a maximum of 19 bands (ERIC2), demonstrating high molecular variability among the sixteen isolates of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri. The highest genetic similarity, 0.444%, was between Xac3 (Pune) and Xac4 (Rahuri), while the lowest genetic similarity, 0.003%, was between Xac1 (Akola) and Xac10 (Gujarat).