Molecular characterization of litchi germplasm by RAPD marker

Twenty accessions of litchi were obtained from Horticultural Research Station, Patherchatta, G.B.P.U.A.T., Pantnagar and were characterized with RAPD markers. The cultivars Rose Scented, Late Large Green, Late Seedless and Early Seedless were found most promising as a parent for future breeding programme. Twenty one bands were detected from 20 accessions of litchi using 5 RAPD primers and all the primers were found to be polymorphic. These genotypes were classified into three major groups. RAPD data were analyzed by cluster analysis and UPGMA. The analysis revealed that litchi genotypes showed the existence of considerable variation among the test accessions.