Genetic relationship among five mandarin cultivars was assessed using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Five primers were selected after screening of many primers which generated 119 total bands. Clustering pattern analysis, the Unweighted Pair-group Method using Arithmetic averages
(UPGMA) dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance grouped five mandarin cultivars into two main clusters where S. mandarin and Ch. Mandarin formed one cluster and the rest three cultivars grouped together into two sub clusters, where C. mandarin and Sat. Mandarin formed one sub cluster and the other sub cluster included only B. mandarin cultivar. Inter-species similarity index (Dice and Jaccard) and the UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance revealed that S. mandarin and Sat. mandarin as the most closely related species among the five citrus cultivars under study.
Keywords : Mandarin germplasm, interrelationship, molecular characterization, RAPD markers, similarity indices.,
Received:1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM; Accepted: 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM