Molecular diversity analysis in selected fodder and dual purpose oat (<i>Avena sativa</i> L.) genotypes by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)

Abstract

Genetic variability among 15 oat genotypes comprising fodder and dual purpose oat varieties from different geographical regions was analyzed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker method in Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (G.B.P.U.A. & T.), Pantnagar. The results show appreciably high genetic diversity among the oat genotypes studied. Fifteen (15) primers selected from 20 RAPD primers could amplify 259 clear and identifiable bands, of which 250 bands were polymorphic, accounting for 96.52% genetic polymorphism. All the oat genotypes studied could be distinctly divided into two major groups with the genetic distance level at 0.46 by cluster analysis based on the Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity. The cluster break indicated sufficient genetic variability among the genotypes. Clustering pattern of the varieties appeared such that it can be grouped in the genotypes suitable for the fodder purpose and the dual purpose varieties separately. Several polymorphic bands were also found in different genotypes which helped in molecular diversity analysis of these genotypes. The results found are encouraging and indicate that RAPD technique is an easy, quick and reliable technique used for molecular diversity analysis for preliminary selection.

Keywords: Oats, RAPD, genetic diversity, polymorphism.

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(22), pp. 3425-3429