Genetic Diversity Revealed Among Rattan Genotypes from Andaman and Nicobar Islands Based on RAPD and ISSR Markers

Abstract

Southeast Asia hosts a great diversity of different rattan genotypes. There are 5 genera and 60 different species of rattan in India. The natural reserves of this species have come under the threat of genetic erosion due to overexploitation in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This investigation was focused at characterizing 12 rattan genotypes of the genera Calamus, Korthalsia and Daemonorops which yield rattans of commercial importance, based on RAPD and ISSR fingerprints. PCR amplifications with 8 RAPD primers gave an average of 7.37 selected markers/primers, with a maximum of 10 (OPA-4) and minimum of 6 (OPE-02 & OPE-06). Percentage of polymorphic bands ranged from 50 – 70% in RAPD primers. Among 59 selected bands 36 (61.0) were polymorphic. The amplification with seven ISSR primers generated 53 bands and 30(56.60 %) were polymorphic. The highest polymorphism was observed in OPA -7 (75%) in RAPD and IS16 (71.45%) in ISSR. RAPD primers recorded more polymorphism as compare to ISSR primers. The overall average polymorphism of 12 accessions using 15 primers was 58.92 %. Unique fingerprints for 10 Calamus, 1 Korthalsia and 1 Daemonorops genotypes were detected. The outcomes presented in this paper demonstrated the utility of RAPD and ISSR markers in elucidating patterns of genetic variation among genotypes of the three main rattan genera of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in identifying individual genotypes, which may serve as potential sources of unique genetic material for genetic improvement and conservation.