Development of molecular markers for screening of Alnus nepalensis (D. Don) genotypes for the nitrogenase activity of actinorhizal root nodules.

Alnus nepalensis (D. Don), an alder species, is an actinorhizal tree found in the hilly regions of Eastern and Northeastern India. It is useful in the reclamation of wastelands generated by land slips, shifting agriculture and coal mining. To maximise the soil regeneration capacity of alder plantations, it would be useful to be able to select superior alder genotypes at the nursery level. Conventional methods of genotype screening are difficult to apply to open-pollinated forest trees. It would be beneficial if molecular markers could be developed for early screening. The study reported here was conducted to assess the feasibility of developing PCR-based AFLP and RFLP screening tools for the selection of superior genotypes of this valuable tree with respect to their ability to support efficient nitrogen-fixing root nodules. It was found that a multi-site strategy, including the chloroplast rrn operon and the nuclear rRNA genes, yielded promising results. A molecular marker for genotypes that support nodules with low nitrogenase activity was also identified.