Molecular Systematic Study of Variants of Solanum nigrum L. in India

Abstract

Solanum nigrum L. is a widely distributed polyploid species with naturally occurring diploid (n=12), tetraploid (n=24) and hexaploid (n=36) forms. Information concerning the extent of the relationship among different species of Solanum nigrum complex is a prime importance for the evolutionary and taxonomic points of view. It is now well known that species hybridization has played an important role in the origin of polyploid series. Morphological, cytological and molecular characters of Indian variant tetraploid, diploid and hexaploid have been studied. An investigation of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker was made for the origin of Indian variant hexaploid S. nigrum and interrelationship with diploid and tetraploid of the complex. Out of 60 random primers 45 were used to examine 362 bands for all 3 variants. Fifteen did not amplify or showed unclear amplification across all variants. It has been concluded on the basis of RAPD data that Indian variant of tetraploid and diploid were involved in origin of hexaploid Indian variant S. nigrum. However tetraploid forms of S. nigrum play an important role in hexaploid origin.