1National Research Centre on DNA Fingerprinting, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110 012. E-mail: mkrana@nbpgr.ernet.in
2Sugarcane Section, Dept. of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004
Online published on 23 May, 2014.
Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess genetic diversity and varietal relationships in eight sugarcane varieties popularly cultivated in Punjab. Young leaves from spindles of at least five clones of each of the eight cultivars were used for DNA extraction using CTAB method. A total of 23 RAPD primers were used for amplification, three of which did not produce any bands. Two broad clusters were evident in the dendrogram for sugarcane cultivars of Punjab. The results give an indication to make conscious efforts to diversify parental genetic base of sugarcane to ensure high genetic variability among varieties being considered for breeding in the state.
