GENETIC VARIABILITY BASED RESPONSE OF SUGARCANE LINES RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE AGAINST WHIP SMUT

Abstract

Study was aimed to access genetic relationships and response for whip smut among 103 sugarcane lines/varieties through DNA genotyping. Touchdown PCR amplification based genotyping of four tailed (M-13) and 26 (FAM-labelled) SSRs markers was performed on Licor 4300 DNA Analyzer and ABI Genetic Analyzer 3730, respectively. Using different softwares, 314 alleles were scored, averaging 10.46 alleles per marker. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.67 to 0.93. DNAMAN generated homology tree revealed 66-88% genetic similarity among the studied sugarcane lines which indicated their narrow genetic base. The markers mSSCIR-19 and mSSCIR-43 were able to distinguish between all the sugarcane lines resistant and susceptible to whip smut. The grouping of sugarcane lines showing different responses to whip smut within the same cluster indicates that many genes with little effects are involved in smut resistance. The results may help sugarcane breeders in variety identification and designing crosses for developing whip smut resistant cultivars.