Abstract

The present study deals with evaluation of genetic diversity and pedigree analysis through RAPD analysis. A total number of 40 Jatropha curcas accessions collected from different geographical regions and 43 random decamer primers were screened to assess polymorphism. 10 primers were amplified and 94 polymorphic bands were found out of 125 scored. Accounting for 75.2 % polymorphism across the genotypes 12.5 bands per primer, out of 9.4 were polymorphic. Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity varied from 0.00 to 1.00 indicative of high levels of genetic variation among the genotypes studied. Cluster analysis of data using UPGMA algorithm placed the 40 accessions into 2 main clusters, with cluster II divided into six sub-clusters. The result provides valid guidelines for the collection, conservation and characterization of Jatropha curcas genetic resources.

Key words: Jatropha curcas, DNA fingerprinting PCR, RAPD, genetic diversity, cluster analysis, PCA.