Abstract:
Rice is a major food crop in Sri Lanka. Rice as the staple food constitutes the single
most important crop occupying nearly 29% of the total agricultural land in Sri
Lanka, about 1.8 million farm families engaged in rice cultivation. Molecular
characterization of germplasm diversity and genetic relationships of local
developed, mutant, and traditional rice varieties were analyzed in this study.
Objective of this study is to detect the relationship among the selected rice varieties
for future breeding purposes. Rice seeds of twenty five traditional and improved
rice varieties were taken from regional rice research and development center in
Bombuwala and rice research station in Ambalantota. DNA was extracted using
modified CTAB method. Extracted DNA was amplified using RAPD markers,
OPI6, OPJ4, 0P 019 and OPE 14. The presence of a particular band was denoted as
1 and absence was denoted as 0.
Data were analyzed using cluster analysis of SPSS package and clusters were
represented in the form of a dendrogram. According to SPSS cluster analysis there
are two major clusters except mu-1-2 mutant variety. Economic importance of this
mutation must be studied in future. Information of the dendrogram can be utilized
for selecting parents in the development of intercluster crossing program.
