Identification and genetic relationships among nine Albizzia species based on morphological and molecular markers

Identifying germplasm is an important component for efficient and effective management of plant genetic resources. This investigation was undertaken for the identification and analysis of genetic variation within 9 species of Albizzia through 33 morphological parameters, and 15 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 17 Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) primers. The use of selected RAPD and ISSR primers generated a total of 163 and 201 amplified DNA fragments, respectively. High frequencies of polymorphism, 95.05% for RAPD and 96.02% for ISSR, were detected. Statistical approaches were employed to construct genetic relationships by RAPD, ISSR and morphological analysis. Cluster analysis by the unweighted pair-group method (UPGMA) of Nei's similarity generated dendograms with similar topology that gave a better reflection of the diversity and affinities between species. These molecular results were comparable to main morphological characteristics. The correlation matrices generated by RAPD and ISSR markers were highly correlated (r = 0.843 at p = 1.0), thereby indicating congruence between these two marker systems. Both morphometric data and molecular markers have the potential to analyse genetic variation among the nine species of Albizzia, thus providing a major input for management strategy of plant genetic resources.