Assessment of phylogenetic lineage of landraces (AA) and wild Musa acuminata Colla. through morphotaxonomic traits and microsatellite markers

Phylogenetic lineage of Musa acuminata Colla. and its landraces was assessed through morphotaxonomic traits and microsatellite markers. Test accessions were morphotaxonomically characterized for 107 traits using Musa descriptor and documented. An average PIC of 0.55 was observed using microsatellite markers and a total of 139 alleles were identified with a mean of 8.1 alleles per primer pair. Matti, a landrace could be a parthenocarpy form of M. acuminata ssp. burmannica or might have originated through natural crosses involving M. acuminata ssp. burmannica as one of its parents. Four wild acuminata forms, viz., Pagalaphad wild, Chengdawt, Lairawk and Meghalaya wild, which have been newly identified, proved their uniqueness. Anaikomban and Pisang Lilin had grouped in the same cluster and have proved their genetic proximity.