Abstract
Rhizome yield, 4C nuclear DNA content and RAPD analysis were carried out of 17 promising cultivars of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). The rhizome yield per plant varied significantly from 77.66 to 350 g among 17 cultivars of Curcuma longa. Significant variation of 4C DNA content was recorded at the intraspecific level with values ranging from 4.30 to 8.84 pg. The differential DNA content observed among 17 different cultivars of Curcuma longa comprising same (2n=48) chromosome number could be attributed to the loss or addition of highly repetitive sequences in the genome. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis clearly revealed genetic variation among 17 cultivars of turmeric showing differential polymorphism using 20 primers. The amplification fragments per primer ranged from 4 to 17 in 17 cultivars with fragment size ranging from 0.4 kb to 3 kb. Intraspecific polymorphism ranged from 35.6% to 98.6% among 17 cultivars studied. The RAPD primers OPN06 and OPA04 having strong resolving power were able to distinguish all 17 cultivars. The extent of genetic diversity among 17 cultivars was computed through Nei's genetic similarity and genetic distances. The genetic variations detected through 4C nuclear DNA content and RAPD analysis have significance for turmeric improvement programmes.
