Genetics and genomics of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis): Current status, future challenges, and biotechnological opportunities toward a sustainable bamboo industry

Basic concepts and methodologies of DNA marker systems in plant molecular breeding.

Bamboos represent an emerging forest resource of economic significance and provide an avenue for sustainable development of forest resources. The development of the commercial bamboo industry is founded upon efficient molecular and technical approaches for the selection and rapid multiplication of elite germplasm for its subsequent propagation via commercial agro-forestry business enterprises. This review will delve into the micropropagation of Dendrocalamus asper, one of the most widely cultivated commercial varieties of bamboo, and will encompass the selection of germplasm, establishment of explants in vitro and micropropagation techniques. The currently available information pertaining to molecular biology, DNA barcoding and breeding, has been included, and potential areas for future research in the area of genetic engineering and gene regulation have been highlighted. This information will be of relevance to both commercial breeders and molecular biologists who have an interest in establishing bamboo as a crop of the future.

A Concise Review of Dendrocalamus asper and Related Bamboos: Germplasm Conservation, Propagation and Molecular Biology.

Bamboo, a gramineous plant belonging to the family Poaceae, comprises of 1575 species from 116 genera across the globe. It has the ability to grow and evolve on degraded land and hence, can be utilized in the various applications as an alternative for plastic and wood. DNA barcoding, a long genomic sequence, identifies barcode region which shows species-specific nucleotide differences. This technology is considered as advanced molecular technique utilized for characterization and classification of the various species by applying distinctive molecular markers. Recent investigations revealed the potential application of various barcode regions such as matK, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1, psbA-trnH, and ITS2, in identification of many bamboo species from different genus. In this review we comprehensively discussed the relevance of DNA barcoding as a tool in classification/identification of various bamboo species. We highlighted the methodology, how this advance technology overcomes the challenges associated with traditional methods along with prospects for future research.

Traditional System Versus DNA Barcoding in Identification of Bamboo Species: A Systematic Review

Abstract Conservation of bamboos for future exploitation as fuel, fibre and as an ingredient for cosmetics depends on knowledge of its natural genetic variation. The study of molecular genetic diversity in bamboos will provide important information for its conservation. This article reports on the genetic diversity in 25 species representing five genera of bamboos found in Indonesia using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers. Out of 40 primers, 24 primers produced 1107 total bands and 86.21% of polymorphic bands across the 25 species. Sixteen bands were uniquely found in one species only and their presence or absence helped to define nine bamboo species. RAPD band sizes ranged from 162 to 2247 base pairs. A dendrogram based on the similarity coefficient of Dice divided the bamboo species into three big clusters. In conclusion, RAPD can capture the diversity among five different bamboo genera and has a great potential to be used in the study of genetic diversity in Indonesian bamboos.

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Evaluation of RAPD markers for molecular identification of five bamboo genera from Indonesia

Bamboo species have a very significant ecological and economic impact. Determining morphological and genetic differences among bamboo genera and species are crucial to explore desirable traits for breeding purposes. Several advances have been made in the taxonomy of bamboos by using molecular fingerprinting tools and next generation sequencing technologies. Nevertheless, classical molecular markers such as RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA), AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) and ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) also provide an accurate discrimination among genera and species. Moreover, the RAPD-RFLP (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) method, in which amplification products from RAPD are digested with restriction enzymes, is a reliable, fast and cost-effective method for fingerprinting. RAPD-RFLP has been scarcely used in the literature and no report regarding bamboo taxonomy is available with this method. Here we explored the molecular (RAPD, RAPD-RFLP) variation among genera (Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Guadua and Phyllostachys) and species of bamboo cultivated in Brazil. Both molecular markers allowed clear distinction among the genera studied. Moreover, high cophenetic correlation values in UPGMA clusters indicated their potential for discriminating bamboo species. The digestion of RAPD products (RFLP) resulted in high number of polymorphic bands and produced very characteristic profiles for each genus with three enzyme combinations (HindIII/HaeIII, HinfI/RsaI, and single digestion with MspI). We recommend RAPD-RFLP as a reproducible and informative method for screening differences among genera, species and varieties of bamboos. Providing a cost-effective and accurate method for species identification and characterization is straightforward for bamboo conservation, management and breeding.

Marcio Akira Ito

Papers

Molecular identification of bamboo genera and species based on RAPD-RFLP markers