Detection of Polymorphism in Rice Germplasm Using Rapd Marker

Preliminary studies on 34 rice accessions (aromatic and non-aromatic) originated from South and Southeast Asian countries were analyzed for genetic diversity applying random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Amplification of genomic DNA from these accessions using 14 random primers produced a variety of RAPD patterns. UPGMA based cluster analysis resolved the accessions into three major clusters ranging from 47.83 to 97.52 similarity coefficients. The least similarity was shown by accession YAU-R2-1 which shared with none of the other clusters (a red pericarp accession belonging to China). The mutants in cluster A (Pakistani origin) showed more than 94% similarity among themselves whereas the accessions belonging to Philippines were grouped in two clusters. Cluster B consisted of 15 accessions (land races) with similarity coefficients ranging from 62.0 to 93.6% while 6 accessions were grouped in cluster C (mutants along with their parents) with similarity coefficients ranging from 72.9% and 87.1%. This might be an indicative of a relatively broader genetic base as compared to the germplasm belonging to Pakistan. This study demonstrated the ability of RAPD markers to reliably differentiate between different accessions of diverse origin and also represented an initial but important step in using RAPD markers as a tool for evaluating genetic diversity in rice germplasm.