Showing papers on "RAPD published in 2010"

Endophytic actinomycetes isolated from Aquilaria crassna Pierre ex Lec and screening of plant growth promoters production

Abstract: A total of 10 endophytic actinomycete strains were successfully isolated from healthy shoots and roots of Aquilaria crassna Pierre ex Lec (eaglewood). Analysis of 16S rDNA sequencing of those isolates showed that they belong to members of the genera Streptomyces (2 isolates), Nonomuraea (1 isolate), Actinomadura (1 isolate), Pseudonocardia (1 isolate) and Nocardia (3 isolates). The remaining 2 isolates were unidentified. All of isolates produced the amount of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and ammonia ranging between 9.85 ± 0.31 to 15.14 ± 0.22 μg ml−1 and 2 to 60 mg ml−1, respectively. Among 10 isolates tested, the amount of hydroxamate-type siderophore produced by 2 isolates was undetectable. While the remaining 8 isolates produced the amount of hydroxamate-type ranging between 3.21 ± 0.12 and 39.30 ± 0.40 μg ml−1. Also, catechols-type siderophore produced by 9 isolates was undetectable. Actinomadura glauciflava is only one isolate that produced catechols-type 4.12 ± 0.90 μg ml−1. In addition, 10 endophytic actinomycetes showed protease activity ranging from undetectable to 8.16 ± 0.15 unit ml−1. Genetic relatedness amongst these isolates was determined base on Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC PCR). Both methodologies generated specific patterns corresponding to particular genotypes. RAPD fingerprinting proved to be slightly more discriminatory than ERIC PCR. This study is the first published report that actinomycetes can be isolated as endophytes within this plant. It is also the first published report that endophytic actinomycetes are capable of producing IAA and siderophores.

Molecular Markers Reveal Limited Genetic Diversity in a Large Germplasm Collection of the Biofuel Crop Jatropha curcas L. in Brazil

Abstract: Thegeneticdiversityofacomprehensivegerm- plasmcollectioninvolving� 192� Jatropha curcas� L.�accessionscollectedthroughoutBrazil,�span- ningawidelatitudinalrangefromthestatesof� Maranhao�(1°49'�S,�44°52'�W)�toRioGrandedo� Sul�(29°33'�S,�55°07'�W),�wasstudiedwith�96�ran- domamplifiedpolymorphicDNA�(RAPD)�primers�

In vitro propagation of the endangered plant Centaurea ultreiae: assessment of genetic stability by cytological studies, flow cytometry and RAPD analysis

Abstract: The effect of different cytokinins on multiple shoot regeneration from shoots of Centaurea ultreiae was studied. The culture system consisted of solid basal half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with one of four cytokinins [6-benzyladenine (BA), zeatin, kinetin, or N6-(2-isopentyl) adenine (2-iP)] at each of five different concentrations. The highest multiplication rate (5.52 shoots per explant) was obtained in the medium supplemented with 4.44 μM BA. Shoots were successfully rooted (91% success) by dipping the basal end into a solution containing 10 M 1-naphthaleneacetic acid for 30 s. Genetic stability of the regenerated plants was assessed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and flow cytometry. In the initial randomly selected plant material (control) and 20 of its regenerants, 2,688 bands were generated by RAPD with 12 different primers, and the same banding profiles were exhibited. Molecular and cytological analyses did not reveal genomic alterations in any of the regenerated plants obtained on medium containing 4.44 μM BA. The success of acclimatization to environmental conditions—100% of plants were successfully acclimatized—suggests that the micropropagation system described is a reliable method for propagation of C. ultreiae.

Cytological studies on inbred rye

Abstract: The phylogenetic relationship of five species of pigs including Guizhou miniature pig, Bama pig, Xisuangbanna inbred pig, Rongchang Pig and Landrance was studied by RAPD analysis. Thirty-nine single polymorphic primers were selected out of 190 primers. The amplified fragments of thirty-nine primers were analysed by the RAPDistance package version 1.04 and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using NJ method. The results indicated as the following: three strains of miniature pigs have close phylogenetic relationship and the phylogenetic relationship between Guizhou miniature pig and Bama miniature pig was much closer. Landrance and Rongchang pig have close phylogenetic relationship too, but their phylogenetic relationship is far from the three strains of miniature pigs.

Assessment of effects of heavy metals combined pollution on soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure: modified ecological dose–response model and PCR-RAPD

Abstract: A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the response of soil enzyme activities (namely dehydrogenase, phosphatase and urease) to different levels of trace element pollution in soil representative area. The improved ecological dose model and random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were used to assess soil health. The 50% ecological dose (ED50) values modified by toxicant coefficient were calculated from the best-fit model, and determination values from the regression analysis for the three enzyme activities were studied after the incubation periods. The results showed that the elevated heavy metal concentration negatively affects the total population size of bacteria and actinomycetes and enzymatic activity; dehydrogenase (ED50 = 777) was the most sensitive soil enzyme, whereas urease activity (ED50 = 2,857) showed the lowest inhibition; combined pollution or elevated toxicant level would increase disappearing RAPD bands, and the number of denoting polymorphic bands was greater in combined polluted soils. All three mathematical modified models satisfactorily described the inhibition of soil enzyme activities caused by Cd and Pb, by giving the best fit.

Genetic diversity of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii and development of a SCAR marker for this guava-damaging species

Abstract: The objectives of this work were to evaluate the genetic variability of Meloidogyne enterolobii by molecular markers, and develop species-specific molecular markers for application in detection Sixteen M enterolobii isolates from different geographical regions (Brazil and other countries) and hosts were used in this study The identification and purification of the populations were carried out based on isoenzyme phenotype The DNA amplification of the intergenic region (IGS) of the rDNA and of the region between the cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) and 16S rRNA genes (mtDNA) produced specific fragments of the expected size for this nematode, ie 780 and 705 bp, respectively Intraspecific variability among the isolates was evaluated with three different neutral molecular markers: AFLP, ISSR and RAPD The results showed a low level of diversity among the isolates tested, indicating that M enterolobii is a genetically homogeneous root-knot nematode species The RAPD method allowed the identification of a species-specific RAPD fragment for M enterolobii This fragment was cloned and sequenced, and from the sequence obtained, a set of primers was designed and tested The amplification of a 520-bp-long fragment occurred only for the 16 isolates of M enterolobii and not for the 10 other Meloidogyne species tested In addition, positive detection was achieved in a single individual female, egg-mass and second stage juvenile of this nematode This SCAR species-specific marker for M enterolobii represents a new molecular tool to be used in the detection of this nematode from field samples and as a routine diagnostic test for quarantine devices

Rapid emergence of hybrids between the two subspecies of Ophiostoma novo‐ulmi with a high level of pathogenic fitness

Abstract: During the 1970s Europe was invaded by two subspecies of the Dutch elm disease pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi: subsp. americana from the west and subsp. novo-ulmi from the east. As a result their geographic ranges began to overlap in several areas. Only a weak prezygotic barrier to hybridization exists between the subspecies and in 1980 two hybrids were detected in the Netherlands. A subset of 107 O. novo-ulmi isolates collected in a subspecies overlap zone in Limburg, Netherlands in 1983 was characterized for three phenotypic markers and seven RAPD PCR markers. By phenotype, 33% were shown to be hybrid whereas by RAPD markers 69% were shown to be hybrid. Some isolates shown to be hybrid by phenotype were not revealed to be hybrid by PCR and vice versa. Combining the phenotype and RAPD data the estimated hybrid frequency was ∼78%. The mean growth rate of Limburg hybrid isolates was significantly faster than that of the Limburg subsp. novo-ulmi isolates but not significantly different from Limburg subsp. americana isolates. The Limburg hybrid isolates were just as pathogenic as the parent subspecies on both clonal Ulmus procera and on U. × Commelin. A subset of 100 isolates collected in another subspecies overlap zone at Orvieto, Italy in 1986 was also assessed with RAPD markers and ∼72% were shown to be hybrids. When 20 isolates of a ‘pure’ subsp. novo-ulmi population in the Baltic Ports area of Poland collected in 1980 were assessed by RAPD markers three isolates exhibited early introgression of subsp. americana DNA. This study therefore demonstrates very rapid emergence of O. novo-ulmi subspecies hybrids and introgressants in Europe in the early 1980s. In terms of two major fitness characters, growth rate and pathogenicity, these early hybrids were as fit as their parent subspecies. It is likely that complex hybrid swarms are now expanding across the continent.

Morphological and molecular diversity within Algerian cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) landraces

Abstract: Twenty landraces of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) scattered throughout Algeria were compared through morphological and genetic characterization. At the morphological level, for qualitative characters there was no intra-landrace variation and for quantitative characters the variations were low except for landrace NAG2 Three different cultigroups were located in Algeria: Biflora that was dominant in the Sahara, Melanophtalmus in the North and Unguiculata including one landrace in Kabylia and two in Sahara. The AMOVA analysis indicated that the genetic variation was lower within than among agro-ecological regions. A Mantel test, revealed a correlation between the qualitative morphological data and the geographical data (R = 0.28; P < 0.01), indicating that the degree of morphological change among landraces was roughly proportional to the geographical distances separating them. Genetic diversity was analyzed by using 11 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 12 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. No intra-landrace variability was found. The eleven RAPD primers yielded 77 bands, of which 45 (58.44%) were polymorphic; the genetic similarity ranged from 66.0 to 96.7%. The twelve ISSR primers provided a total of 104 bands, of which 65 (62.5%) were polymorphic; the genetic similarity ranged from 62.8 to 97.8%. cluster analysis showed a good match between genetic background and geographical distribution, which was confirmed by the results of the Mantel test. In particular, geographical data and genetic data were found to be correlated: (R = 0.33; P < 0.01) for RAPD, (R = 0.37; P < 0.01) for ISSR, and (R = 0.33; P < 0.01) for a combined RAPD-ISSR dataset. Moreover, despite the absence of significant correlation between morphological and RAPD data (R = 0.14; P = 0.14), significant correlations between morphological data and both ISSR (R = 0.27, P < 0.05) and a combined RAPD-ISSR dataset (R = 0.22, P < 0.05) were noted. ISSR markers were better linked to morphological variation than were RAPD markers. However, despite this, genetic distances among these landraces were found to be essentially the same no matter which markers were used.

Comparative evaluation of genetic diversity using RAPD, SSR and cytochrome P450 gene based markers with respect to calcium content in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.).

Abstract: Genetic relationships among 52 Eleusine coracana (finger millet) genotypes collected from different districts of Uttarakhand were investigated by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), simple sequence repeat (SSR) and cytochrome P450 gene based markers. A total of 18 RAPD primers, 10 SSR primers, and 10 pairs of cytochrome P450 gene based markers, respectively, revealed 49.4%, 50.2% and 58.7% polymorphism in 52 genotypes of E. coracana. Mean polymorphic information content (PIC) for each of these marker systems (0.351 for RAPD, 0.505 for SSR and 0.406 for cyt P450 gene based markers) suggested that all the marker systems were effective in determining polymorphisms. Pair-wise similarity index values ranged from 0.011 to 0.999 (RAPD), 0.010 to 0.999 (SSR) and 0.001 to 0.998 (cyt P450 gene based markers) and mean similarity index value of 0.505, 0.504 and 0.499, respectively. The dendrogram developed by RAPD, SSR and cytochrome P450 gene based primers analyses revealed that the genotypes are grouped in different clusters according to high calcium (300‐450 mg/100 g), medium calcium (200‐300 mg/100 g) and low calcium (100‐200 mg/100 g). Mantel test employed for detection of goodness of fit established cophenetic correlation values above 0.95 for all the three marker systems. The dendrograms and principal coordinate analysis (PCA) plots derived from the binary data matrices of the three marker systems are highly concordant. High bootstrap values were obtained at major nodes of phenograms through WINBOOT software. Comparison of RAPD, SSR and cytochrome P450 gene based markers, in terms of the quality of data output, indicated that SSRs and cyt P450 gene based markers are particularly promising for the analysis of plant genome diversity. The genotypes of finger millet collected from different districts of Uttarakhand constitute a wide genetic base and clustered according to calcium contents. The identified genotypes could be used in breeding programmes and a major input into conservation biology of cereal crops.

A new citrus linkage map based on SRAP, SSR, ISSR, POGP, RGA and RAPD markers

Abstract: Sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), simple sequence repeats (SSR), inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), peroxidase gene polymorphism (POGP), resistant gene analog (RGA), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and a morphological marker, Alternaria brown spot resistance gene of citrus named as Cabsr caused by (Alternaria alternata f. sp. Citri) were used to establish genetic linkage map of citrus using a population of 164 F1 individuals derived between ‘Clementine’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco ‘Clementine) and ‘Orlando’ tangelo’ (C. paradisi Macf. ‘Duncan’ × C. reticulata Blanco ‘Dancy’). A total of 609 markers, including 385 SRAP, 97 RAPD, 95 SSR, 18 ISSR, 12 POGP, and 2 RGA markers were used in linkage analysis. The ‘Clementine’ linkage map has 215 markers, comprising 144 testcross and 71 intercross markers placed in nine linkage groups. The ‘Clementine’ linkage map covered 858 cM with and average map distance of 3.5 cM between adjacent markers. The ‘Orlando’ linkage map has 189 markers, comprising 126 testcross and 61 intercross markers placed in nine linkage groups. The ‘Orlando’ linkage map covered 886 cM with an average map distance of 3.9 cM between adjacent markers. Segregation ratios for Cabsr were not significantly different from 1:1, suggesting that this trait is controlled by a single locus. This locus was placed in ‘Orlando’ linkage group 1. The new map has an improved distribution of markers along the linkage groups with fewer gaps. Combining different marker systems in linkage mapping studies may give better genome coverage due to their chromosomal target site differences, therefore fewer gaps in linkage groups.

Genetic diversity in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) landraces from Zimbabwe revealed by RAPD and SSR markers.

Abstract: Low polymorphism in cultivated watermelon has been reported in previous studies, based mainly on US Plant Introductions and watermelon cultivars, most of which were linked to breeding programmes associated with disease resistance. Since germplasm sampled in a putative centre of origin in southern Africa may harbour considerably higher variability, DNA marker-based diversity was estimated among 81 seedlings from eight accessions of watermelon collected in Zimbabwe; five accessions of cow-melons (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) and three of sweet watermelons (C. lanatus var. lanatus). Two molecular marker methods were used, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeats (SSR) also known as microsatellite DNA. Ten RAPD primers produced 138 markers of which 122 were polymorphic. Nine SSR primer pairs detected a total of 43 alleles with an average of 4.8 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.47 to 0.77 for the RAPD primers and from 0.39 to 0.97 for the SSR loci. Similarity matrices obtained with SSR and RAPD, respectively, were highly correlated but only RAPD was able to provide each sample with an individual-specific DNA profile. Dendrograms and multidimensional scaling (MDS) produced two major clusters; one with the five cow-melon accessions and the other with the three sweet watermelon accessions. One of the most variable cow-melon accessions took an intermediate position in the MDS analysis, indicating the occurrence of gene flow between the two subspecies. Analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) attributed most of the variability to within-accessions, and contrary to previous reports, sweet watermelon accessions apparently contain diversity of the same magnitude as the cow-melons.

Assessment of DNA Damage by RAPD in Paracentrotus lividus Embryos Exposed to Amniotic Fluid from Residents Living Close to Waste Landfill Sites

Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic effects of environmental chemicals on residents living near landfills. The study was based on samples of amniotic fluid from women living in the intensely polluted areas around the Campania region of Italy compared to a nonexposed control group. We evaluated the genetic effects that this amniotic fluids collected in contaminated sites had on Paracentrotus lividus embryos. DNA damage was detected through changes in RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphism DNA) profiles. The absence of the amplified DNA fragments indicated deletions in Paracentrotus lividus DNA exposed to the contaminated amniotic fluids when compared to equal exposure to uncontaminated fluids. These results show the ability of RAPD-PCR to detect and isolate DNA sequences representing genetic alterations induced in P. lividus embryos. Using this method, we identified two candidate target regions for DNA alterations in the genome of P. lividus. Our research indicates that RAPD-PCR in P. lividus embryo DNA can provide a molecular approach for studying DNA damage from pollutants that can impact human health. To our knowledge, this is the first time that assessment of DNA damage in P. lividus embryos has been tested using the RAPD strategy after exposure to amniotic fluid from residents near waste landfill sites.

Efficiency of RAPD versus SSR markers for determining genetic diversity among popcorn lines.

Abstract: Using only one type of marker to quantify genetic diversity generates results that have been questioned in terms of reliability, when compared to the combined use of different markers. To compare the efficiency of the use of single versus multiple markers, we quantified genetic diversity among 10 S(7) inbred popcorn lines using both RAPD and SSR markers, and we evaluated how well these two types of markers discriminated the popcorn genotypes. These popcorn genotypes: "Yellow Pearl Popcorn" (P1-1 and P1-5), "Zelia" (P1-2 and P1-4), "Curagua" (P1-3), "IAC 112" (P9-1 and P9-2), "Avati Pichinga" (P9-3 and P9-5), and "Pisankalla" (P9-4) have different soil and climate adaptations. Using RAPD marker analysis, each primer yielded bands of variable intensities that were easily detected, as well as non-specific bands, which were discarded from the analysis. The nine primers used yielded 126 bands, of which 104 were classified as polymorphic, giving an average of 11.6 polymorphisms per primer. Using SSR procedures, the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to five, giving a total of 47 alleles for the 14 SSR loci. When comparing the groups formed using SSR and RAPD markers, there were similarities in the combinations of genotypes from the same genealogy. Correlation between genetic distances obtained through RAPD and SSR markers was relatively high (0.5453), indicating that both techniques are efficient for evaluating genetic diversity in the genotypes of popcorn that we evaluated, though RAPDs yielded more polymorphisms.

Treatment of wastewater from rubber industry in Malaysia

Abstract: Vernonia (Vernonia galamensis) is a new potential industrial oilseed crop. The seeds of this crop contain unusual naturally epoxidised fatty acids which are used in the production of various industrial products. The objective of this study was to evaluate and select vernonia lines in Limpopo province through seed oil content, fatty acid content and RAPD DNA markers. Significant differences were observed for the content of seed oil (22.4 - 29.05%), vernolic acid (73.09 - 76.83%), linoleic acid (13.02 14.05%), oleic acid (3.77 - 5.28%), palmitic acid (2.48 - 2.98%) and stearic acid (2.26 - 2.75%). Among the 13 RAPD DNA primers screened, primer OPA10 amplified DNA samples and resulted in 4 distinct groupings among tested lines. Four promising lines were selected; Vge-16, Vge-20, Vge-27 and Vge-32 using seed oil content, fatty acids and RAPD markers. The lines will be used for strategic breeding of vernonia as an alternative industrial oil crop in Limpopo province of South Africa or other similar environments.

Molecular characterization of Fusarium oxysporum f. melongenae by ISSR and RAPD markers on eggplant.

Abstract: Fusarium oxysporum f. melongenae is a major soil-borne pathogen of eggplant (Solanum melongena). ISSR and RAPD markers were used to characterize Fusarium oxysporum f. melongenae isolates collected from eggplant fields in southern Turkey. Those isolates were not pathogenic to tomato. Pathogens were identified by their morphology, and their identity was confirmed by PCR amplification using the specific primer PF02-3. The isolates were classified into groups on the basis of ISSR and RAPD fingerprints, which showed a level of genetic specificity and diversity not previously identified in Fusarium oxysporum f. melongenae, suggesting that genetic differences are related to the pathogen in the Mediterranean region. The primers selected to characterize Fusarium oxysporum f. melongenae may be used to determine genetic differences and pathogen virulence. This study is the first to characterize eggplant F.oxysporum species using ISSR and RAPD.

Molecular strategy for identification in Aspergillus section Flavi

Abstract: Aspergillus flavus is one of the most common contaminants that produces aflatoxins in foodstuffs. It is also a human allergen and a pathogen of animals and plants. Aspergillus flavus is included in the Aspergillus section Flavi that comprises 11 closely related species producing different profiles of secondary metabolites. A six-step strategy has been developed that allows identification of nine of the 11 species. First, three real-time PCR reactions allowed us to discriminate four groups within the section: (1) A. flavus/Aspergillus oryzae/Aspergillus minisclerotigenes/Aspergillus parvisclerotigenus; (2) Aspergillus parasiticus/Aspergillus sojae/Aspergillus arachidicola; (3) Aspergillus tamarii/Aspergillus bombycis/Aspergillus pseudotamarii; and (4) Aspergillus nomius. Secondly, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) amplifications or SmaI digestion allowed us to differentiate (1) A. flavus, A. oryzae and A. minisclerotigenes; (2) A. parasiticus, A. sojae and A. arachidicola; (3) A. tamarii, A. bombycis and A. pseudotamarii. Among the 11 species, only A. parvisclerotigenus cannot be differentiated from A. flavus. Using the results of real-time PCR, RAPD and SmaI digestion, a decision-making tree was drawn up to identify nine of the 11 species of section Flavi. In contrast to conventional morphological methods, which are often time-consuming, the molecular strategy proposed here is based mainly on real-time PCR, which is rapid and requires minimal handling.

Genetic diversity of eggplant (Solanum melongena) germplasm from Turkey assessed by SSR and RAPD markers.

Abstract: Eggplant is a major crop in Turkey, which produces more of this crop than all of Europe; consequently, germplasm resources are of concern for the country. Molecular characterization of eggplant genotypes collected from different geographical regions of Turkey was carried out using SSR and RAPD markers. With amplification of five SSR loci, the number of alleles per microsatellite locus ranged from 2 to 10, with a total of 24 alleles. The greatest number of alleles was found at the emf21H22 locus (10 alleles); followed by emh11O01 and emf21C11 as five and four alleles, respectively. The average number of alleles per locus was 4.8. Using 11 decamer RAPD primers, 100 bands were amplified, among which 29 were polymorphic. The number of bands per primer ranged from seven (OPH10, OPH19, OPH20, OPH03) to 14 (OPB07). Primer OPB07 was the most polymorphic, generating 64% polymorphic bands; the rest of the primers gave less than 50% polymorphism. UPGMA dendrograms were used to examine the genetic relatedness of the genotypes.

Molecular characterization and genetic diversity analysis of Jatropha curcas L. in India using RAPD and AFLP analysis

Abstract: Jatropha curcas L. belongs to family Euphorbiaceae, native to South America and widely distributed in South and Central America, attained significant importance for its seed oil which can be converted to biodiesel, a renewable energy source alternative to conventional petro-diesel. Very few attempts were made to understand the extent of genetic diversity that exists in J. curcas. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to asses the genetic diversity among 28 diverse germplasm collected from distinct geographical areas in India. The overall percentage of polymorphism (PP) was found to be 50.70 and 60.95 by RAPD and AFLP, respectively. The mean PP was found to be 9.72 and 20.57 by RAPD and AFLP, respectively. The mean genetic similarity was observed to be 0.89 by RAPD and 0.88 by AFLP. Among the germplasm JCI20 found to be the most diverged one. The dendrogram analysis of RAPD and AFLP data showed good congruence, but better resolution and more polymorphism was observed with AFLP. When the dendrogram of RAPD was compared with AFLP dendrogram, the major clustering pattern was found to be similar; however, changes in minor grouping were observed. In both RAPD and AFLP analysis clustering of germplasm did not show any correlation with the geographical area of collection. Low genetic diversity observed in J. curcas and the clustering pattern indicates that the distribution of species might have happened through anthropogenic activity and warrants the need for widening the genetic base. The present study will provide pavement for further intra-population studies on narrow geographical areas, to understand the population genetic structure, phylogeography, molecular ecological studies. The marker information and the characterized germplasm help in further improvement of the species through marker assisted breeding programs.

Molecular Polymorphisms in Tunisian Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) as Revealed by RAPD Fingerprints

Abstract: The genetic diversity among Tunisian pomegranate cultivars has been investigated. Using universal primers, the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used to generate banding profiles from a set of twelve cultivars. Data was then computed with appropriate programs to construct a dendrogram illustrating the relationships between the studied cultivars. Our data proved the efficiency of the designed method to examine the DNA polymorphism in this crop since the tested primers are characterized by a collective resolving power of 12.83. In addition, the cluster analysis has exhibited a parsimonious tree branching independent from the geographic origin of the cultivars. In spite of the relatively low number of primers and cultivars, RAPD constitutes an appropriate procedure to assess the genetic diversity and to survey the phylogenetic relationships in this crop.

Molecular assessment of genetic diversity in cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) genotypes.

Abstract: . 1999;Henry and Mathur 2005) but such traits are influenced byenvironmental factors and developmental stage of the plant.Molecular markers offer several advantages over the conven-tional breeding tools for selection of diverse parents. Ran-domly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) uses arbitrary10-baseprimersto amplifythe randomportionofthegenome(Williams