<span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB">Molecular assessment of genetic stability using ISSR and RAPD markers in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in vitro</i> multiplied copies of commercial banana cv. Robusta </span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family: " times="" new="" roman""="" lang="EN-GB">The present study was carried out to monitor somaclonal variations of banana cv. Robusta during micropropagation using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Shoot tips were used as explants and regenerated on MS+BAP 4.0 mg/L medium. The regenerated shoots were cultured on MS medium fortified with 4.0 mg/L BAP+0.25 mg/L NAA+30 mg/L AdSO₄ for multiplication. Rooting was obtained on ½ MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L NAA. Rooted shootlets were separated individually and hardened in greenhouse. The hardened plants of banana were screened for genetic stability using 46 (26 RAPD and 20 ISSR) primers. The number of scorable bands for each RAPD primer varied from 1 to 9. Twenty-six RAPD primers produced 108 distinct and scorable bands, with an average of 4.15 bands per primer and the amplification products range was from 100-1150 bps. No polymorphism was detected during the RAPD analysis of <i>i</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">n vitro </i>raised clones. Twenty ISSR primers produced 81 distinct and scorable bands in the range of 100-1000 bps and the number of scorable bands for each primer varied from 2 to 8 with an average of 4.05 bands per primer. A homogenous amplification profile was observed for all the micropropagated plants when compared to mother plant in both types of markers used. The results corroborate the fact that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in vitro<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> </span></i>multiplication is the safest mode for production of true to type plants.

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