Use of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to reveal genetic diversity within and between populations of cashew(Anacardium occidentale L.)

SummaryRAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) markers were used to determine genetic diversity within and between populations of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.). Efficient and novel procedures for extracting PCR-amplifiable, high molecular weight DNA from young cashew leaves were developed and the PCR conditions for RAPD analysis of cashew DNA using random 10.bp primers were defined. Optimized PCR-reaction conditions were then used to analyse differences in RAPD profiles within and between a selection of cashew varieties obtained from diverse geographical locations around the world and within a pool of twenty elite Tanazanian cashew lines. RAPD polymorphisms were obtained among the Tanzanian lines and between and within the geographically diverse lines. The relatively uniform RAPD profiles for the selection of random primers tested suggested a high degree of DNA level similarity between the Tanzanian accessions. Accessions from India, Mozambique and Tanzania showed the closest relationship, with accessions from Brazil being the most distinct from the other provenances. A specific RAPD-PCR product was linked with cashew accessions from the Cook Islands.