RAPD PCR GENOTYPING OF TEN ACCESSIONS OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum Con. [Mill.] Syn. Solanum lycopersicon [Linn.])
Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Con. [Mill.] Syn. Solanum lycopersicon [Linn.]) belongs to the family Solanaceae and order Solanales. The plant originated from South America but has been domesticated worldwide. This study investigated the variation in Tomato germplasm using RAPD PCR genotyping technique. Seven accessions; NGB01254, NGB01250, NGB01302, NG/DE/MAR/09/019, NGB01301, NGB01255 and NGB 01237 were collected from Gene Bank while three accessions were obtained from home gardens including DE/IK-L-001, DE/IK-L-002 and ED/EG-L-001. The samples were cultivated in a Screen House in the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. Standard procedures were used for DNA extraction and purification while the commercial primer OPA-09 (51GGG TAA CGC C-31) was employed for genotyping. Each DNA fragment generated from RAPD PCR genotyping was treated as a separate character and scored as a discrete variable, which was used to distinguish the accessions. Results suggest the primer was able to amplify less than 50 % of the samples studied but was able to amplify more than 50 % of the collections from home gardens. Three genetic types were observed, which may be related to nutrients, growth condition and species of Tomatoes studied. Of the ten samples studied, 4 (40.0 %) were amplified and typeable with the OPA 09 commercial primer while the remaining 6 (60.0 %) were not typeable with this primer. Although this study have further enumerated the advantages of molecular markers in plant characterization, it is important that a combination of molecular and morphological traits be considered for effective characterization of plant germplasm.
