Genetic diversity

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a well-known spice herb showing anti-inflammatory, antitumour, antioxidant, antiapoptotic, cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities due to the occurrence of a diverse range of phytochemicals. Ginger is dominantly cultivated in many districts of South Rajasthan due to favourable climatic and soil conditions but the yield is very low as the crop is highly susceptible to various bacterial and fungal diseases. The unavailability of resistant ginger varieties resulted in a sharp decline in ginger cultivation. Genetic diversity analysis is desirable to develop improved varieties of ginger showing resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. The present paper reports the assessment of genetic diversity among 30 ginger genotypes from South Rajasthan through SCoT and ISSR markers. An overall 62.93% polymorphism was reported by the combined use of SCoT and ISSR markers and SCoT markers performed better in terms of the number of amplification products (168 bands) and a higher degree of polymorphism (74.39%). Cluster analysis confirmed that genotypes which were collected from a similar geographical area are genetically similar and diversity arose due to a slight change in geographical location. Population genetic analysis revealed that members of the DOD population showed the highest genetic diversity while AMI and SAV populations are closely related. The present paper proved the potential of SCoT markers for the evaluation of genetic diversity in other ginger accessions as well as for the identification of positive traits for varietal improvement.