Identification and application of molecular markers for assessment of genetic diversity, structure and phylogenetics of Indian bamboo germplasm

Abundance and usefulness of bamboo species throughout Southeast Asian countries coupled with plant of major economic concern, bamboo has been considered as a valuable bioresource in this continent. India shelters the second largest reserve of bamboo which is represented by approximately eighteen genera and one hundred and thirty species. Bamboo is widely distributed throughout the country except the state of Jammu & Kashmir and adapted to varying climatic conditions prevailing in different geographical regions. Although bamboo is an important Bioresource, each species of which have its own diverse chemical and mechanical qualities, the genetic diversity and interrelationships between Indian bamboo species remained unexplored till date. Current study focuses upon assessment of genetic structure, diversity and relationships among thirty eight species comprising of 354 accessions using Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Eight AFLP primer combinations generated 2819 loci in all accessions. Considering, the non-availability of sequence based markers, 56 microsatellite markers have been identified for bamboo genome characterization. Diverse accessions detected through AFLP markers were further analysed by a panel of forty-five newly designed genomic Simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Both type of markers showed high level of genetic diversity between geographically distant accessions and also showed intermixing of few accessions. Overall results presented here provide not only significant insight about the phylogenetic relationships in bamboo complex but also information about the existing genetic diversity of five commercially important bamboo species and hence help in strategizing better management of this vital bioresource for the industry.    Key words: Genetic Diversity, Bamboo, AFLP, SSR, Phylogenetics