RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA AND GENETIC DIVERSITY IN INDIAN MUSA GERMPLASM

Fifty-seven accessions of Musa including cultivated clones of 6 genomic groups (AA, AB, AAA, AAB, ABB, ABBB), M. balbisiana Colla (BB), M. acuminata Colla ssp. banksii F. Muell. (AA), M. acuminata Colla ssp. malaccensis Ridl. (AA) and M. velutina Wendl. & Drude were examined for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genetic markers using PCR with sixty 10-mer random primers. Forty-nine of 60 tested primers gave reproducible DNA amplification patterns. The number of bands resolved per amplification was primer dependent and varied from 1 to a maximum of 24. The size range of the amplification products also differed with the selected primer sequence/genotype and ranged from 0.29 to 3.0 kb. RAPD data were used to generate Jaccard's similarity coefficients which were analyzed phenetically. Phenetic analysis separated clones into distinct groupings that were in agreement with clusterings revealed when data were subsequently analyzed by principal coordinate analysis (PCO). In both the phenetic and the PCO analyses, previously unclassified cultivars grouped with cultivars previously classified for their genomic group based on morphological keys. The implications of RAPD analysis for Musa germplasm classification, clonal identification, and management are discussed.