Study of genetic diversity in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn) using RAPD markers

Abstract

Germplasm identification and characterization is an important link between conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources. The present study was conducted to characterize the genetic diversity using twelve germplasm of finger millet including two of the same variety (VL-149) but from different regions. Three replica of each germplasm was amplified using seventeen random primers. A total of 113 distinct fragments ranging from 117 bp to 2621 bp were amplified. Of these, 70 (61.9%) were found to be
polymorphic. A fingerprint for GPU-28 was obtained. Another fingerprint for genotype VL-315 was generated where two primers (T10S6, T20S4) could distinguish it from other genotypes either by absence or presence of an allele, respectively. In addition to this, another interesting allele which was
absent in genotypes of high altitudes (VL-324, VL-315, and VL-149) was discovered. The lowest and highest polymorphisms were obtained within individuals belonging to genotypes OUAT-2 and VL-324. Nei’s analysis revealed the highest similarity between OUAT-2 and JWM-1 and the highest distance between BM-1 and VL-315. OUAT-2 and JWM-1, both white seeded germplasms, showed maximum closeness. The study helped in identifying the germplasm in a quick and reproducible manner and
studying their relatedness.