Diversity and genetic stability in banana genotypes in a breeding program using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR)...

Area of Science:

• Plant genetics
• Molecular biology
• Horticulture

Background:

• Banana (Musa spp.) is a globally significant fruit crop.
• Understanding genetic diversity is crucial for banana breeding programs and germplasm management.
• Molecular markers offer powerful tools for assessing genetic variation within and between genotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the genetic diversity of 21 distinct banana genotypes.
• To evaluate the efficiency of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers in characterizing banana genetic variability.

Main Methods:

• Genetic diversity analysis of 21 banana genotypes using 12 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers.
• Data analysis included polymorphism assessment, Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic averages (UPGMA) dendrogram construction, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA).
• Material was sourced from the Embrapa Cassava & Fruits banana breeding program.

Main Results:

• ISSR markers generated a high polymorphism rate of 97.5%.
• Four distinct clusters were identified among the banana genotypes.
• The Garantida and Thap Maeo genotypes were found to be genetically isolated from the other 19 genotypes in both UPGMA and PCoA analyses.

Conclusions:

• ISSR markers are efficient tools for assessing genetic diversity in banana.
• The study successfully elucidated the genetic relationships among the evaluated banana genotypes.
• The findings provide valuable insights for future banana breeding strategies and germplasm conservation.