MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY STUDIE OF SOYBEAN (GLYCINE MAX L.) CULTIVARS USING RAPD MARKERS

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important crop plant which contains a high amount of oil and protein. The main goal of the work was to use 13 RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers to study genetic polymorphism in a set of 28 soybean genotypes and to construct a dendrogram from the obtained results, based on which we will recommend genotypes for further breeding. In total, using 13 RAPD markers, we determined 108 fragments in a set of 28 soybean genotypes with an average number of 8.31 fragments per genotype. The number of fragments varied from 6 (OPB-08, OPE-07) to 12 (SIGMA-D-01). Of the total number of 108 fragments, 70 were polymorphic with an average number of 5.38 polymorphic fragments per genotype. The number of polymorphic fragments varied from 3 (OPE-07, OPF-14) to 9 (SIGMA-D-01). The average percentage of fragment polymorphism was 63.68% and ranged from 42.86% (OPF-14) to 83.33% (OPB-08). Diversity index (DI) values ranged from 0.710 (OPA-03) to 0.846 (OPD-08) with an average value of 0.763. A dendrogram prepared based on hierarchical cluster analysis using UPGMA algorithm separated 28 soybean genotypes into four clusters. The applied RAPD markers proved to be a suitable tool for detection of the genetic diversity of soybean genotypes. Based on the constructed dendrogram, it is possible to select suitable varieties for marker-assisted breeding.