Assessment of ISSR Markers for Tagging Genetic Variability for Yield Components in Small Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton)

Genetic diversity among ten small cardamom accessions having variability in yield traits was investigated using inter simple sequence repeat markers (ISSR). A better understanding of the variability in yield is essential for the proper utilization of genotypes in breeding programmes. Of the 10 primers analysed, 5 reported polymorphisms and generated a total of 47 scorable loci, of which 32 were polymorphic revealing 68% polymorphism. The molecular weight of the fragments ranged from 200-1100 bp. Specific banding pattern was observed in high yielding group using ISSR7 (800bp) and with ISSR 3 (800bp) for low yielding group. Genetic diversity analysis within and among the two groups showed maximum diversity in high yielding varieties based on the values of Nei’ s genetic diversity (h) and Shannon’s informative index (I). Dendrogram based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficients were generated based on an average linkage algorithm (UPGMA) using marker data. Clear grouping of the ten accessions of small cardamom into two clusters was observed. These results suggested that ISSR markers could efficiently differentiate the small cardamom genotypes based on yield and can be useful for future cardamom improvement programmes.