Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers reveal genetic diversity in bael (Aegle marmelos Correa) genotypes of Andaman Islands, India

Abstract

The present study evaluated genetic variability of superior bael genotypes collected from different parts of Andaman Islands, India using fruit characters and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Genomic DNA extracted from leaf material using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 12 polymorphic primers. A total of 476 polymorphic loci were identified with mean value of 39.66 bands per primer and 63.99% polymorphism. Application of unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average cluster analysis generated three genotypic groups. 'Bael-5' and 'Bael-8' were most similar genotypes whereas 'Bael-7' and 'Bael-1' were extreme divergent. The clusters based on molecular data were not in agreement with the morphological traits in most of the cases as low level of correlation was observed between the classification methods based on fruit characteristics and RAPD markers. The bael genotypes were found to have considerable genetic variability, demonstrating the importance of RAPD markers to analyse each genotype in a collection in order to efficiently maintain the germplasm collection for genetic improvement of bael.

Transcriptome Analysis of Bael (Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.) a Member of Family Rutaceae

“…These identified SSRs can also be used for the marker-assisted breeding in A. marmelos i.e., to breed this tree for a particular environment or condition. Otherwise, until recently, only diversity-related studies were conducted in A. marmelos using universal primers, and researchers were even limited to only 12 RAPDs and 16 universal ISSRs to access diversity among their A. marmelos genotypes collection [1,53]. Furthermore, these genomic information-based SSRs can help to identify and differentiate between homozygous and heterozygous individuals.…”

“…(2 n = 18) or Bael is an underexploited member of family Rutaceae. Believed to be native to the Indian subcontinent, it is well distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical belts of southeast Asia [1,2]. Botanically, A. marmelos is a deciduous tree stretching up to 10 m in height that flowers during the months of May-June [3,4].…”

“…Moreover, the unavailability of molecular markers based on the genomic information has further decelerated the molecular breeding efforts in A. marmelos. Earlier, a diversity study was carried out using only 12 random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) [1]. This limitation can be overcome by developing an appropriate resource of genomic information-based molecular markers using a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based approach such as transcriptomics [20,22].…”

Transcriptome Analysis of Bael (Aegle marmelosL.) a Member of Family Rutaceae

“…SSRs are popularly used for marker-assisted selection, fingerprinting, diversity assessment and QTL identification [46]. Routinely, because of massively parallel sequencing, a large number of SSRs are identified in the medicinal plants via transcriptome assemblies because they are more robust and can also be transferred among different species within the same genus These SSRs identified for A. marmelos can be used for the fingerprinting of different accessions otherwise until recently studies were conducted in A. marmelos using RAPDs and ISSRs which are general markers and are not based on previous genomic information [1,47].…”

“…Aegle marmelos (2n = 18) or Bael is an underexploited member of family Rutaceae. Believed to be native to the Indian subcontinent, it is well distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical belts of southeast Asia [1,2]. Botanically, A. marmelos is a deciduous tree stretching up to 10 m in height that flowers during the months of May -June [3,4].…”