Utility of RAPD,ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers for the genetic analysis of Citrus spp.

The application and informativeness of RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers to study the genetic diversity and relationship among the Citrus and its relative genotypes were investigated. High levels of polymorphism were observed for all four marker systems. The RAPD technique generated the highest number of polymorphic bands and average number of polymorphic band per assay unit. Average limit of the discriminating power was very close to its actual discriminating power of each marker. The highest and the lowest values of effective number of patterns were obtained from the marker REMAP (5.94) and RAPD (4.48), respectively. Correlation between the genetic similarities matrices were estimated from all four markers using the Mantel matrix correspondence test, and results showed significant correlations among the RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP similarity matrices. The highest correlations were found comparing RAPD and ISSR markers, whereas RAPD and REMAP (r = 0.143) markers were poorly correlated. To assess the usefulness of the overall information provided by these marker data for establishing phylogenetic relationships and Citrus germplasm classification, cluster analysis was performed. All four techniques, solely or in combination, discriminated the genotypes very efficiently and generated a high similarity in dendrogram topologies, although some differences were observed. The linkage analysis was conducted based on the segregation of 38 RAPD, 13 ISSR, 19 IRAP and 9 REMAP loci in 96 progeny of an intergeneric cross Citrus sinensis and Poncirus trifoliata. Among the 81 studied loci 65 loci distributed on five linkage groups. Comparing the result obtained with RAPD, ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers in this study, IRAP and REMAP proved to be as a reliable molecular marker for fingerprinting, mapping and diversity study of Citrus and its relatives.     

甜瓜属REMAP分子标记体系的建立及应用

基于甜瓜属Ty1-copia类逆转座子的长末端重复序列信息,结合ISSR引物序列,在体系优化的基础上建立了适用于甜瓜属物种的REMAP(retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism)标记体系。对46份甜瓜属不同类型材料进行聚类分析,证明该标记体系能有效检测甜瓜属不同类型材料间的多态性,可以用于甜瓜属作物品种鉴定及指纹图谱构建。     

Molecular characterisation of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) varieties using ISSR and SSR markers

The present study was carried out to standardise a DNA isolation protocol for coconut and to characterize five coconut varieties using 18 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. DNA was extracted from tender young leaf samples collected from the fronds of five different trees of each coconut variety. A protocol using 0.095 g ml^?1 glucose, 0.025 g ml^?1 polyvinylpyrrolidone, 0.0045 g ml^?1 sodium bisulphite, 0.0055 g ml^?1 sodium dodecyl sulphate, and 50 µl ml^?1 sarcosine produced good quality DNA. The average polymorphism percentages revealed using ISSR or SSR markers between the five varieties were 31.9% or 92.9%, respectively. Using ISSR markers, the overall similarity between all five varieties ranged from 0.657 to 0.775, whereas it was 0.037–0.304 using SSR markers. The levels of polymorphism detected using ISSR markers among the five samples each of ‘Banawali’, ‘Gangabondum Green Dwarf’, ‘Pratap’, ‘Konkan Bhatye Coconut Hybrid-I’, and ‘East Coast Tall’ were 23.2%, 24.2%, 25.6%, 27.1%, and 21.2%, respectively. The levels of polymorphism detected using SSR markers among the five samples of the same five varieties were 85.7%, 86.9%, 85.7%, 100%, and 92.9%, respectively. This study indicated that genetic variation existed both between and within samples of each of the five varieties of coconut. SSR markers were superior to ISSR markers. The extent of genetic variation obtained within a variety was not expected, so it is essential to maintain seed purity via artificial pollination.     

Assessment of clonal fidelity of micropropagated gerbera plants by ISSR markers

True-to-type clonal fidelity is one of the most important pre-requisites in micropropagation of crop species. Genetic fidelity of in vitro raised 45 plants of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus) derived from three different explants, viz., capitulum, leaf and shoot tips, was assessed by 32 ISSR markers, for their genetic stability. Out of 32 ISSR markers, 15 markers produced clear, distinct and scorable bands with an average of 5.47 bands per marker. The markers designed from AG motif amplified more number of bands. The markers anchored at 3′ ends produced high number of consistent bands than unanchored markers. Fifteen ISSR markers generated a total of 3773 bands, out of which 3770 were monomorphic among all the clones. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient revealed that out of 45 clones derived from different explants, 44 were grouped into a single large cluster alongwith the mother plant with a similarity coefficient value of 1.00, whereas one clone (C38) remained ungrouped. The clones derived from capitulum and shoot tip explants did not show any genetic variation, whereas, one of the leaf-derived clones exhibited some degree of variation.     

Genetic structure of Buxus sinica var. parvifolia, a rare and endangered plant

Buxus sinica var. parvifolia, a rare and endangered tree species in some semitropics alpine areas of China, plays an important role in the maintenance of the landscape and ecosystem. In this study, RAPD and ISSR markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of five natural populations and one tamed population of B. sinica var. parvifolia. 21 RAPD primers amplified 209 bands with 167 (79.90%) polymorphic and 21 ISSR primers amplified 518 bands with 467 (90.15%) polymorphic. The genetic diversity, estimated by Shannon’ index, was 0.4343 (by RAPDs) and 0.3661 (by ISSRs). Both RAPD and ISSR analyses revealed a high level of genetic diversity in natural populations of B. sinica var. parvifolia. Furthermore, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to apportion the variation within and between populations. The proportion of variation attributable to within-population differences was very high (69.2% by RAPDs; 84.51% by ISSRs). Moderate differentiation was detected among populations using RAPDs (30.80%), while only a small amount of variation (15.49%) was detected among populations using ISSRs. We suggest that the present genetic structure is due to high levels of environmental variability and gene flow, which still need further study to confirm. Conservation measures are suggested, including in situ and ex situ strategies, based on the observed population genetic information.     

Genetic diversity of ash gourd [Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.] inbred lines based on RAPD and ISSR markers and their hybrid performance

Ten inbred lines of ash gourd [Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.] were crossed to produce 45 F₁ hybrids (without reciprocal) which were evaluated along with the parents for 20 growth- and yield-related traits, in a replicated field trial. High level of heterosis was observed among the hybrids for most of the traits examined, including yield. These inbred lines were analysed by using 42 RAPD primers those produced 282 DNA marker bands. A total of 130 RAPD markers were obtained with a mean of 3.1 per primer, which in combination discriminated all the inbreds from each other. Pair-wise genetic distance measurements ranged from 0.07 to 0.31, suggesting a wide genetic diversity for these inbreds. These inberds were also analysed with five ISSR primers of which four were informative. Twenty-six ISSR marker bands were generated of which 11 were polymorphic with an average of 2.80 per primers. The percentage of polymorphic bands produced were higher in ISSR markers (>80%) than generated through RAPD markers (46%). Although the results indicated significant positive correlations of genetic distance with hybrid performance and heterosis, the RAPD based genetic distance measures and use of limited ISSR markers in this present study could not effectively predict hybrid performance in this crop. The genetic variation among ash gourd inbred lines examined, herein, defined a marker array (combined ISSR and RAPD) for the development of a standard reference for further genetic analyses, and the selection of potential parents for predicting hybrid performance and heterosis.     

Genetic variability in wild vs. cultivated Eruca vesicaria populations as assessed by morphological,agronomical and molecular analyses

In this study, the genetic diversity of 50 individuals of rocket, Eruca vesicaria, from five accessions, four of them wild type collected from different parts of Spain and one commercial, were evaluated using morphological, agronomical and inter simple sequence repeat DNA (ISSR) data. Molecular analysis was carried out using the ISSR technique with 20 primers. Out of these 20 primers, nine were polymorphic, producing a total of 395 DNA bands, 247 of which were polymorphic among the accessions. A dendrogram drawn on the basis of a similarity matrix using the UPGMA algorithm revealed that the 50 samples of rocket plants could be classified into three major clusters at a Nei's genetic distance of 0.36. The experiment shows that molecular markers such as ISSR are a good instrument for distinguishing and selecting rocket accessions to group different wild populations. In general, a high variation was observed for most of the 16 morphological and 6 agronomical traits showing significant differences. Some morphological traits such as leaf length, petiole length and lamina width explained 69.1% of the whole variation observed in the populations, and some agronomical traits such as leaf area, nitrate and chlorophyll contents accounted for 65.7%, but the clusters generated by means of agronomical and morphological variables were less evident than when ISSR markers used. Some accessions showed good qualities, such as small leaves, high chlorophyll content, late-flowering or low nitrate content. All these parameters, together with the high degree of genetic homogeneity found, could make the local accessions good candidates for a future breeding programme.     

A comparative analysis of the genetic diversity between inbred lines of Zinnia elegans using morphological traits and RAPD and ISSR markers

Genetic diversity within Zinnia elegans is key to the genetic improvement of this important ornamental species. Here, morphological traits and RAPD and ISSR molecular markers were used to assess levels of polymorphism across 20 inbred lines. Thirty-four morphological traits were scored and also 147 RAPD marker-fragments, as amplified by 12 arbitrary primers, and 128 ISSR marker-fragments as generated by 9 primers. The number of polymorphic loci, the percentage of polymorphic loci, Shannon's Information index (I) and the effective number of alleles (Ne) were calculated from the RAPD data as 100, 68.03%, 0.3559 and 1.4169, respectively. From the ISSR data, these respective statistics were calculated as 97, 76.38%, 0.4013 and 1.4728. Thus, ISSR markers were considered slightly superior to RAPD markers for assessing genetic diversity between the accessions; however, Mantel's test indicated significant correlation (R = 0.733) of the RAPD and ISSR results. By contrast, the morphological matrix showed low correlation with both RAPD and ISSR data matrices (R = 0.3814 and 0.3765, respectively). Cluster analysis showed that groupings of the accessions according to all three methods correlated well with their geographic region of origin, but flower color was not strongly associated with the genetic classification of these inbred lines of Z. elegans.     

ISSR variations in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and related Solanum species

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis was performed in eight cultivars of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and 12 accessions in eight related Solanum species to evaluate the applicability of this analysis for assessing the phylogenetic relationships and identifying cultivars. A total of 552 polymorphic amplified bands were obtained from 34 of the 100 primers tested, and the percentage of polymorphisms was 99.1%. Cluster analysis based on the ISSR markers classified the Solanum species into seven groups: (i) S. melongena; (ii) S. aethiopicum and S. anguivi; (iii) S. incanum; (iv) S. violaceum and S. kurzii; (v) S. macrocarpon; (vi) S. virginianum and (vii) S. torvum. Combining the ISSR markers obtained by a few of the 34 primers was enough for distinguishing of the eight cultivars of eggplant. This ISSR analysis was demonstrated to be available for the phylogenetic study and the cultivar identification.     

Genetic structure of mulberry from different ecotypes revealed by ISSRs in China: An implications for conservation of local mulberry varieties

Mulberry is a perennial and economically important plant that has traditionally been used for feeding the silkworm. Evaluating genetic relationship is important for long-term improvement in mulberry yield, quality and resistance, and for germplasm conservation and identification. Population structure and genetic diversity of 8 mulberry populations from different ecotypes in China were analyzed by ISSR markers. Twelve ISSR primers generated a total of 83 amplification products, of which 50 were polymorphic, revealing 60.24% polymorphism among 66 mulberry local varieties, the mean PIC value was 0.1469. The total heterozygosity (H_T), heterozygosity within population (H_S), diversity between populations (D_ST) were 0.1600, 0.0851 and 0.0749, respectively. The coefficient of population differentiation (G_ST) was 0.4683, indicating that the variations among populations and those within populations contributed 46.8% and 53.2% to the total heterozygosity, respectively. The gene flow (N_m) was 0.5678, suggesting that genetic drift between populations can caused local genetic differentiation and therefore, population divergence. The mean genetic similarity coefficient was 0.8456, genetic similarity coefficient among 8 mulberry populations ranged from 0.8441 to 0.9640, indicating that genetic diversity of different populations existed variation. A dendrogram of all 66 local varieties of mulberry based on the genetic similarity using ISSR markers was generated by UPGMA cluster method. In the dendrogram, most varieties from the same ecotype clustered together.     

Interspecific relationships of Lycoris (Amaryllidaceae) inferred from inter-simple sequence repeat data

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to evaluate interspecific relationships of Lycoris. Twenty-four samples were included in the study representing a total of 20 among species and varieties. Thirteen primers produced 228 discernible DNA fragments, 205, or 89.91%, of which were polymorphic, indicating a high level of interspecific genetic variation in Lycoris. Our UPGMA cluster analysis recognized four major groups of species, which were consistent with morphological and karyotype observations. The first group included species with telocentric and metacentric chromosomes, while the second consisted of species with a haploid genome of 11 subtelocentric chromosomes. The third group contained species with a mixture of subtelocentric, telocentric and metacentric chromosomes. The last group included the Japanese and Korean species. Lycoris anhuiensis was clustered within accessions of Lycoris longituba, suggesting that it could be recognized as a variety of L. longituba. Our ISSR data also suggested that L. straminea may be a hybrid between Lycoris chinensis and Lycoris radiata var. pumila, and that L. caldwellii, an allotriploid, may be of a hybrid origin of L. chinensis and L. sprengeri.     

Use of ISSR,SRAP, and RAPD markers to assess genetic diversity in Turkish melons

The genetic relationships among 63 melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes collected from various regions of Turkey were determined by comparing their molecular ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD markers with those of 19 foreign melon genotypes to investigate the taxonomic relationships and genetic variation of Turkish melon germplasm. Total 162 polymorphic markers (69, 18, and 75 obtained from ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD primers, respectively) were used to define the genetic similarity among the melon genotypes by dendrogram or two and three dimensional scalings. The average similarity (SM coefficient) between any two pairs of accessions examined as estimated by molecular variation was 0.73 ± 0.48. Within-group genetic similarities ranged between 0.46 and 0.96. Related genotypes or genotypes collected from similar regions were partitioned to similar clusters. Southeastern Anatolian genotypes were distinctly apart from group inodorus and group cantalupensis (sweet) genotypes. This reinforced the position of Turkey in the secondary genetic diversity center of melon. The genetic diversity among Turkish genotypes (H = 0.28 and I = 0.42) was only a little less than that of the world accessions (H = 0.30 and I = 0.45). On the other hand, the percentage of polymorphic loci among Turkish melon genotypes (90.7%) was even higher than that of the world accessions (87.6%).     

Variety identification and comparative analysis of genetic diversity in yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata spp. sesquipedalis) using morphological characters,SSR and ISSR analysis

Genetic diversity and relatedness of 23 yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata spp. sesquipedalis) accessions and 7 accessions of a hybrid between cowpea (V. unguiculata spp. unguiculata) and yardlong bean (dwarf yardlong bean) in Thailand were estimated using morphological characters, simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. In addition, two mungbean (Vignaradiata (L.) Wilczek) and two blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) accessions were also used as outgroup species for molecular analysis. Five morphological characters were diverse among most accessions. However, five groups of 2–3 accessions could not be distinguished from one another based on these morphological characters alone. Unweighted pair-group arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis of these characters separated these 30 accessions into 2 major groups; the yardlong bean group and the dwarf yardlong bean group. Eleven of the sixteen SSR primers yielded clear SSRs, ten of which were polymorphic (90.91% polymorphism), detecting a total of 54 alleles with an average of 4.91 alleles per locus. These 10 polymorphic SSR markers successfully distinguished 28 yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions. The polymorphic information content (PIC) among genotypes varied from 0.251 to 0.752 with an average of 0.597. Among the 16 ISSR primers used, a total of 312 ISSR fragments were amplified for these three Vigna species, revealing the polymorphism percentage of 91.03%. The average ISSR PIC value (0.197) with the range of 0.137–0.276 was lower than that of SSR. Nevertheless, the average marker index of this multilocus marker was 3.495, which was higher than that of SSR (0.669), owing to the differences in the effective multiplex ratio. In addition, Mantel test cophenetic correlation coefficient was higher for ISSR (0.566) than that of SSR (0.198). These results indicated higher efficiency of ISSR for estimating the levels of genetic diversity and relationships among yardlong beans and dwarf yardlong beans in this study. Pair-wise coefficients of SSR- and ISSR-based genetic similarity among all yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions averaged 0.87 and 0.91, respectively, suggesting a narrow genetic base that emphasizes the need to broaden genetic diversity to ensure continued breeding success. Clustering of genotypes within groups was not similar when SSR and ISSR derived dendrograms from UPGMA analysis were compared. It appeared that ISSR was the most effective marker system in determining the genetic variability and relationships among yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions and differentiating three Vigna species. In addition, ISSR was also most useful for variety identification since all 30 yardlong beans and dwarf yardlong bean accessions can be effectively distinguished by only four ISSR primers with the highest PIC values.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Musa acuminata cv. “Grand Nain” scalps by vacuum infiltration

Two Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation protocols were evaluated for the generation of transgenic banana tissues (Musa acuminata var. Grand Nain). Co-cultivation versus vacuum infiltration of meristematic banana tissues was compared. The binary vector pC2301 was used for the initial transformation and the histochemical detection of GUS. PCR assays demonstrated that the transformation protocol was successful. Infiltrated samples transformed with pCambia 2301 showed a wider GUS response than the co-cultivated tissues. The specific β-glucuronidase activity was also higher in the infiltrated tissues than in co-cultivated ones and was also comparable to that found in other work. The vector BIBAC2 (bearing a 50 kb insert of foreign gDNA) was also transformed with these protocols showing the potential of this procedure on future genomics for this cultivar.     

Comparative analysis of genetic diversity in Indian bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) using RAPD and ISSR markers for developing crop improvement strategies

A genetic analysis of 38 diverse Indian bitter gourd (Momordicacharantia var. charantia, and var. muricata) accessions was performed using 29 RAPD and 15 ISSR markers. RAPD primers yielded 208 amplicons of which 76 (36.5%) were polymorphic providing an average of 2.6 amplicons per primer. RAPD amplicons per primer ranged from 3 (OPE-19, OPW-09) to 15 (OPW-05), and varied in size from 200 bp to 3000 bp. Fifteen ISSR primers provided a total of 125 bands of which 94 (74.7%) were polymorphic. Polymorphic ISSR markers ranged from 0 (UBC-841) to 12 (UBC-890) providing a mean of 6.3 amplicons per primer that ranged in size from 150 bp to 2700 bp. Nevertheless, the concordance among bitter gourd accession groupings after cluster analysis was relatively high (r = 0.77), indicating that RAPD- and ISSR-based diversity assessments in this germplasm array were generally consistent. The M.charantia var. charantia (domesticated) and var. muricata (wild, free-living) accessions examined were genetically distinct, and these differences provided for the development of strategies for genetic analyses and crop improvement in this species.     

Analysis of Genetic Relationships Between Wild Roses (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa</Emphasis> L. Spp.) Growing in Turkey

Rosa L. taxa are dominantly used for horticulture, food, medicinal, ornamental and aesthetic purposes. Rosa is represented with approximately 200 wild species in the world. The number of natural Rosa species in Turkey is reported as about 31. Rosa species are widely distributed in all regions in Turkey. In this study, RAPD and ISSR markers were applied to assess genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 27 species of Rosa. The UPGMA cluster was constructed using a combination of data from RAPD and ISSR markers. The dendrogram revealed two main clusters. Each cluster was divided into subgroups. This investigation showed that genetic distance was relatively significant among the species. As the results of the study close genetic relationships were found between evolutionary relations, morphplogical properties, and phytogeographical distributions of the Rosa species, The results also propose that RAPD and ISSR markers are useful tools for indicating genetic relationships among Rosa genotypes.     

Identification of Olea europaea L. cultivars using inter-simple sequence repeat markers

Two inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers (one UBC-818, rich in CA and the other UBC-849, rich in GT) were used for the differentiation of 31 Olea europaea L. cultivars grown in Greece. Amplification products were visualized using the silver staining technique. Genetic similarities were calculated using the Jaccard similarity coefficient. The resulting similarity matrix was subjected to the UPGMA clustering method for dendrogram construction and cultivar differentiation. Both ISSR primers showed high degrees of polymorphism. Primer UBC-818 yielded more bands (51) than UBC-849 (33) and helped in uniquely identifying all 31 cultivars while the UBC-849 primer led to the identification of only 27. The present results along with those of other researchers show that ISSRs can be used for cultivar differentiation in O. europaea L.     

Genetic diversity and classification of Nelumbo germplasm of different origins by RAPD and ISSR analysis

In this study, RAPD and ISSR markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity and genetic relationships among different germplasm of Nelumbo including 70 Chinese ornamental cultivars, 7 wild Thai genotypes, 2 Nelumbo lutea genotypes and 8 hybrids of Nelumbo nucifera and N. lutea. High genetic diversities of 96.4% and 91.2% respectively were detected in the Nelumbo accessions using RAPD and ISSR markers. A dendrogram based on both RAPD and ISSR clustering data indicated that: (1) the genotypes of N. nucifera and N. lutea from different geographical origins were clustered into different groups. This indicated significant genetic differentiation attributed to extensive periods of geographical isolation and lack of gene exchange; (2) the Thai wild genotypes were separated from Chinese genotypes. This indicated genetic divergence between germplasm from Southeast Asia and that from China. Geographical location appears to have affected genetic diversity due to adaptation of the plants to the different environments. A new Southeastern Asia Lotus category is suggested as an addition to the current lotus cultivars classification system; (3) data on three morphological traits (namely: plant size, petal shape and flower color), showed that only the data on plant size was consistent with the dendrogram constructed from molecular data. This finding suggests that using data on genetic relationships in combination with morphological characteristics would serve to improve the classification system of lotus cultivars currently in use. The finding of previously unknown germplasm in this study indicated the potential of RAPD and ISSR techniques in identifying and managing lotus resources. Both marker techniques are potentially useful in improving the current strategies in breeding and germplasm conservation to enhance the ornamental and economic value of lotus.     

苹果柱型基因的ISSR分子标记研究

 以普通型苹果品种‘富士’和柱型苹果‘舞姿’以及其杂交后代的柱型与非柱型实生苗为试材, 建立了苹果的ISSR ( Inter-Simple Squence Repeat polymorphic DNA) 分子标记体系, 并将ISSR 标记用于苹果柱型基因Co 的遗传分析。结果表明, 在20μL 反应体系中各组分的用量为Taq DNA 聚合酶1U、Mg²⁺ 的浓度为2.5 mmol·L^-1 、模板DNA 用量20 ng、引物浓度0.2μmol·L - 1及退火温度52 ℃, 80 %引物具有良好的扩增能力。调整模板DNA 的用量、引物浓度及退火温度能够优化苹果ISSR-PCR 扩增体系。从所筛选的65 个引物中获得了35 个ISSR 标记, 其中33 个标记呈现1∶1 分离, 可用于苹果柱型基因的遗传分析。     

Genome composition and genetic diversity of Musa germplasm from China revealed by PCR-RFLP and SSR markers

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most important crops in the world. In this study, 216 banana accessions, 184 from the National Banana Germplasm Collection of China (NBGCC) and 32 from the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), were used to determine the genome composition of banana plants in these collections and to estimate their genetic diversity. The genome composition was examined using PCR-RFLP markers. The molecular data for all but one accession (ITC 1231) from INIBAP were in agreement with the initial records based on phenotypic characteristics. Microsatellite (SSR) markers were used to investigate the genetic variability and relationships among these banana accessions. Ten of the 47 primer pairs tested consistently produced reproducible and discrete fragments. We identified a total of 92 alleles, ranging from 5 to 15 per locus. The genetic similarity between the accessions ranged between 0.1 and 1, when estimated using Jaccard's coefficient. The UPGMA method based on genetic similarities, grouped the NBGCC accessions according to those containing the ‘A’ and ‘B’ genomes. However, this analysis could not separate all the accessions, especially the somatic mutations, using the primers in this study. These data indicated that limited genetic variation exists within these accessions and the collections of NBGCC should include a much wider range of banana plant material.