Abstract

Green gram [Vigna radiata (L.)] landraces were collected from various localities of Southern Tamil Nadu, India, to determine the extent of genetic diversity at DNA level by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis using 20 decamer primers. All the primers produced polymorphic amplification products with some extent of variation. A total of 200 bands were generated with an average of 10 per primer and exhibited 83.0% polymorphism. Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.64 to 0.93 and concentrated mostly between 0.76 to 0.93. This indicated a rather narrow genetic base of tested green gram landraces. Clustering of green gram landraces into two groups showed reasonable variability that may be exploited for selecting parents for breeding purposes. Generally distinct phenotypes identified using RAPD markers could be potential sources of germplasm for green gram improvement.

Key words: genetic diversity, Jaccard’s similarity, RAPD marker, Vigna radiata.