Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Sreekariyam, Trivandrum 695 017, Kerala, India.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: balanambisan@yahoo.co.uk
AbbreviationsPCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RAPDRandom Amplified Polymorphic DNA
UPGMAUnweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic averages
The genetic variability in starchy Curcuma species was assessed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The RAPD pattern generated by 20 primers revealed a high degree of polymorphism. A total of 274 bands were generated of which 264 were polymorphic. All the species were separated into 3 clusters using UPGMA. C. aromatica, C. leucorrhiza, and C. brog formed a cluster within which C. longa and C. zedoaria formed a subgroup. C. harita was genetically distinct from all the other Curcuma species. Since it is difficult to distinguish different species by leaf morphology, the RAPD pattern has high utility in identification of starchy Curcuma species.
starchy Curcuma species, RAPD, genetic diversity
