USE of molecular markers for assessing genetic diversity in celery

The present investigation was carried out with 9 genotypes of celery (Apium graveolens L.) to characterize them through molecular markers (RAPD) for the assessment of genetic diversity and identification of superior entries. RAPD analysis was carried out initially using 10 primers, out of which 4 showed amplification. Further, study was conducted using 4 primers which produced 8 bands of which 6 were polymorphic. Average polymorphism recorded was 75 percent. RAPD profiling similarity matrix was obtained and Jaccard's Similarity Coefficient was calculated, which lies between 0.28 to 0.87. Results based on molecular studies concluded that 9 celery entries could be classified into 4 clusters based on molecular characterization through RAPD dendogram analysis. Study further revealed that molecular markers are least affected by environmental fluctuations and can be more precisely used in assessing genetic diversity and identification of genotypes.