Molecular biodiversity of selected mango cultivars based on DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer region

The mango (Mangifer indica L.) is an important species of the family Anacardiaceae and is one of the most important crops cultivated commercially in many parts of the world. Hence, a better understanding of the phylogeny in this species is crucial as it is the basis knowledge of improving its genetic resources which is beneficial for breeding programs. Phylogenetic relationships among 13 mango cultivars from Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan were carried out by comparing DNA sequence data sets derived from the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region pfnuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). Analysis using parsimony method showed that the cultivars were classified into three major groups. The first group composed almost Malaysian cultivars although with low bootstrap value, the second group consisted of mainly Taiwan cultivars and the last group included mostly Indonesia one. The results indicated that some cultivars have a close relationships with each other even it is originated from different countries. With regards to the relationship among these cultivars, this gives better insight for generating new cultivar.