Molecular Evaluation of Garcinia kola Heckel Accessions Using RAPD Markers

Abstract

The genetic relationships among twenty-five accessions of Garcinia kola using six Random Amplified Polymorphic (RAPD) primers were evaluated in this study. The highest volume of total genomic DNA (2218/μl) was recorded in ON4 from Ikare, while the highest DNA concentration of 1.93 gl was found in OS3 from Ilesa. The highest Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) and gene diversity of 93.77% and 0.94 respectively were revealed by primer OPO2 compared to other primers. The dendogram generated from Unweighted Pair Group with Mean Average (UPGMA) clustering delineated two groups, A and B, consisting of 21 and 4 accessions respectively. This study clearly showed the level of molecular diversity in the accessions and the information provided could be utilized for genetic improvement and conservation of Garcinia kola.