Molecular Fingerprinting for Detecting Genetic Relationships among different Accessions of Pterocarpus marsupium

Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. is a valuable multipurpose forest tree in India. Generally, it is valued greatly for its excellent wood qualities. Due to its significant multipurpose properties, this tree has been overexploited, which ultimately has led to its inclusion in the list of threatened species. In this regard, studying the genetic diversity in P. marsupium is not only significant for the protection of this species, but also necessary for the development and utilization of germplasm resources for its improvement. Before developing any tree improvement program, information on actual genetic diversity and the cryptic number of the differentiated genetic resource are important aids for its conservation and effective utilization. Thus, in the present study, analysis of phylogenetic relationship among P. marsupium species plays an important role in the identification and selection of elite genotype among the wildly distributed accessions. The phylogenetic relationship among 18 genotypes obtained from various forest regions of central India was studied using DNA based molecular markers. In RAPD analysis, out of 40 scorable amplified bands, 29 were polymorphic resulting in expression of polymorphism percentage (73.2%) with an average of 2.90 amplicons per primer. Based on RAPD analysis, the lowest (37%) similarities among accessions were recorded in Anuppur (MAA), Mandla (MMK) and Jabalpur (MJH) and the highest similarity (100%) were observed among Mandla (MMK), Jablapur (MJH); Jashpur (CJM), Surguja (CSA), Bilaspur (CBP) and Durg (CDB) and Raigarh (CRK) accessions. While the ISSR analysis found 66 amplified bands, 45 were polymorphous and average 68.3 percent polymorphic with an average 4.5 bands per oligo. The lowest (36%) similarity was observed among Anuppur (MAA) and Jabalpur (MJH) accessions and the highest similarity (88%) was recorded among Jashpur (CJM), Chhindwara (MCD) and Bilaspur (CBP) accessions. The combined analysis data of RAPD and ISSR showed that Chandrapur (RCC) and Anuppur's (MAA) acessions had the lowest (35%) similarity, with Jabalpur's (MJHs) and Mandla's (MMKs) accession being the highest similarities (100%) reported. As a result, the study of genetic diversity by means of RAPD and ISSR markers alone or in combination, i.e. the MAA, CKB and CRK accessions, was found to be more diverse among 18 accessions of Central India and given greater space for the collection of elite/superior trees to be used in conservation and forest development programs. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers