GENETIC ANALYSIS ON 39 ACCESSIONS OF CYNODON DACTYLON (L.) PERS. FROM SOUTHWWESTERN NIGERIA BY RAPD MARKERS

Abstract

Cynodon dactylon, a perennial, prostrate, C4 plant is a cosmopolitan grass species in southwestern Nigeria. The degree of similarity among 39 accessions of the grass species was assessed in this study. The accessions were gotten from different locations and established in the same field. After 12 months of field establishment, the plants were examined using the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers with the aid of OPA11, OPA16, OPA20, OPB008, and OPB15 primers. The primers generated reproducible polymorphic bands with varying fragment sizes and amplification frequencies across samples. Primers OPA11 and OPB15 revealed a high level of polymorphism, with each amplifying 19 ( at 300-900 bp) and 17 ( at 400-700 bp) accessions, respectively. Conversely, primers OPA16 and OPA20 showed a moderate level of polymorphism, with each amplifying 11 ( at 200-900 bp) and 9 ( at 100-800 bp) accessions, respectively. However, a low level of polymorphism was shown by OPB08 with 4 numbers of accessions amplified ( at 400-500 bp). Analysis of the data generated results in the clustering of the accessions into 6 distinct groups. This diversity is crucial for maintaining a robust gene pool and is advantageous for future improvement programmes.

Keywords: Cynodon, accessions, clustering, primers