DNA amplification fingerprinting in coconut: protocol optimization and analysis of resistance to root (wilt) disease

Abstract

Root (wilt) disease is a serious malady in coconut causing a loss of approximately 968 million nuts a year in India. Integrated management practices are the only suggested methods to reduce its effect to some extent, while the development of resistant varieties will offer a permanent solution for which concrete breeding efforts are required. Considering the long life cycle of coconut, selection of resistant varieties through conventional methods will be time consuming and laborious. Molecular markers offer numerous advantages over markers traditionally used in plant mapping and selective breeding. Here, we present the optimization of PCR conditions for DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF) of coconut using arbitrary oligonucleotide primers. Three of the primers could detect variations between root (wilt) resistant and susceptible coconut palms. This study constitutes the basis for future efforts to tag the root (wilt) resistant gene(s) in coconut.

Biotechnology of Coconut

“…Dendrogram of the coconut accessions by UPGMA cluster analysis indicated grouping of all the dwarf accessions as one in DAF as well as AFLP analysis. DAF technique was later used by Jayadev et al (2005) to identify molecular markers which could differentiate between coconut root (wilt) disease tolerant and susceptible palms. Of the 16 primers screened, three primers viz., UBC 66, UBC 84 and UBC 729 could differentiate resistant from susceptible coconut palms.…”