F-ISSR Marker Based Genotyping of Wild Tuber Population of Dioscorea Exclusive to Tribal Utility in Kerala, India

Dioscorea is a staple food crop and one of the top tuber crops in terms of economic gain, is cultivated in many parts of the world and is mostly grown in tropical countries owing to its subterranean tubers. Dioscorea samples collected from tribal regions of Kerala state, India. Using fluorescently tagged ISSR primers (F-ISSR), genetic diversity analysis of Dioscorea samples was carried out. Out of 38 primers employed, 8 primers displayed polymorphism, with varying numbers of polymorphic loci observed for each primer. The genetic distance within the population was determined using Nei's similarity - distance matrix, maximum distance was observed between D. tomentosa and D. rotundata (0.5379). The unweighted pair-group approach with arithmetic mean analysis was used to assess the comparative data, resulting in the construction of adendrogram with 8 clusters. The bands assessed were ranged in size from 80- 600 bp were aligned with the size standard bands. D. alata (0.2686) and D. oppositifolia (0.2892) showed the highest genetic diversity within the population. Compared with other species in the population, D. esculenta and D. pentaphylla exhibited the highest degree of resemblance. D. rotundata, an exotic variety, formed a distinctive cluster from the other members of the population. Molecular marker-assisted genetic diversity studies on wild varieties of Dioscorea contribute to resolving disputes related to folk systematics and provide advancement in propagation and conservation techniques.