Molecular characterization of the genotypes gives precise information about the extent of genetic diversity which helps in the development of an appropriate breeding program. A total of 16 microsatellite (SSR) markers distributed across the rice genome were used for molecular characterization and discrimination of 100 local landraces of rice. The molecular data revealed a total of 24 alleles in 100 rice accessions, The number of alleles per locus generated by each marker ranged from 1 to 5 alleles with the mean of 1.5 alleles per locus and an average polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.387. This suggests that these markers could be potentially used for molecular characterization of rice accession from various sources. Microsatellite markers (SSR) are also used to detect the genetic similarity of accessions of rice under study. The genetic similarity coefficient ranged from 0.76-1.00 as revealed by UPGMA cluster analysis using the 16 SSR markers. A total of four distinct groups resulted at a cut-off similarity coefficient of 0.83 among the 100 rice accessions. Allelic variability among the SSR markers was high enough to categorize landraces and to catalogue the genetic variability observed for future use. The information about the genetic diversity will be very useful for proper identification and selection of appropriate parents for breeding programs, including gene mapping, and ultimately for emphasizing the importance of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in rice improvement.

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) provide adequate information about polymorphism and reproducible fingerprinting profiles for evaluating heritable diversity in different crops including wheat. The main objective of this study was to reveal the genetic diversity and relationships among different wheat genotypes. Genomic DNA from twenty wheat genotypes were analyzed using 25 inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Out of 25 ISSR primers, 16 showed high level of polymorphism and 9 primers were monomorphic in nature. 1.66 bands per primer were amplified on an average. The PIC value varied from 0.048 to 0.747 for 25 primers. RP value of 25 ISSR primers ranged from 0.95-1.96 with an average of 1.57. The primer UBC 814 was reported as best one in distinguishing the 20 durum varieties. Similarity values for all the 20 genotypes ranges from 0.087 to 0.537 showing substantial differences among the wheat varieties. The 25 ISSR markers were used to construct the dendrogram based on UPGMA cluster analysis. The dendrogram indicates that the ISSR markers succeeded in distinguishing most of 20 varieties in relation to their genetic background and their geographical origin.