TITLE:
Molecular Diversity Analysis of Some Chilli (Capsicum spp.) Genotypes Using SSR Markers
AUTHORS:
Afsana Sharmin, Md. Ekramul Hoque, Md. Masudul Haque, Fahima Khatun
KEYWORDS:
Capsicum, Molecular Diversity, Genotypes, SSR Markers, Polymorphism
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.3,
February
13,
2018
ABSTRACT: Chilli belongs to the genus Capsicum which possesses
enormous wealth of genetic diversity. Extent of genetic diversity determines
the success level of crop improvement programme. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs)
are the most widely used marker system for molecular diversity analysis
especially in cultivated species. The aim of our present study was to assess
the molecular genetic diversity of 20 local chilli genotypes of Bangladesh
using SSR markers. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and PCR
reactions were performed. Eleven SSR primers were used in PCR amplification. Total
10 alleles were detected for the five polymorphic SSR loci, with a mean of 2.00
alleles per primer. Gene diversity ranged from 0.333 to 1.00 with an average of
0.567. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) values of the SSR primers ranged
from 0.255 to 0.500 with an average value of 0.371. The similarity index matrix
ranged from 0.00 to 1.000. It was highest in several germplasms viz. Pop-2 vs Pop-18; Pop-3 vs Pop-5 vs Pop-19 vs Pop-20 and the lowest in
the germplasm Pop-8 vs Pop-18. Dendrogram based on Nei’s genetic distance using
Unweighted Pair Group Method of Arithmetic Means (UPGMA) indicated the
segregation of 20 chilli genotypes into two main clusters. The SSR markers
showed genetic variability in the studied pepper genotypes and they are
powerful tools for estimating molecular diversity of chilli. The findings of
the present study have potential applications in future breeding programme for
the genetic improvement of chilli.