Genetic diversity in Indian cotton (<i style="">Gossypium</i> spp.) cultivars as revealed by RAPD analysis

Abstract

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was carried in 32 cultivars of diploid (<i style="">Gossypium arboreum</i>) and tetraploid (<i style="">Gossypium hirsutum</i>) cottons. Selected 26 RAPD primers generated 401 bands, 272 of which were found to be polymorphic. All the primers produced polymorphic amplification products, however, the extent of polymorphism varied with each primer. Tetraploid cultivars were found to have less genetic diversity than the diploid ones. Exotic tetraploid cultivars also possessed less genetic diversity than the Indian tetraploid cultivars. UPGMA cluster analysis resulted in two broad clusters each of which represented different species of the genus <i style="">Gossypium</i>. All the cultivars could be discriminated from one another using combined profiles for 26 primers.