Vol. 10, Special Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
SG Magar, Ng. Tombisana Meetei, K Noren Singh, VK Khanna and VK Chowdhury

Abstract:
The ayurvedic herb turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), offers myriad benefits including anticancer, antioxidant and antifungal properties. Genetic variability study is an important aspect of crop improvement program and also for conservation of plant genetic resources. Considering these points, the present study was planned to assess the genetic diversity of 22 accessions of Curcuma belonging to three different species (C. amada, C. longa and C. caesia) collected from North East India and were analyzed using 42 ISSR and 10 RAPD markers. The study revealed high to moderate genetic variability, 78% and 76.7% with ISSR and RAPD markers respectively. Darwin software based dendrogram categorized accessions into three major clusters, at certain degree these clusters are congruent with classification based on morphological characters. The maximum genetic similarity was observed between Curcuma amada and Curcuma longa whereas, Curcuma caseia showed distinct variability.