Correspondence of ISSR and RAPD markers for comparative analysis of genetic diversity among different apricot genotypes from cold arid deserts of trans-Himalayas.

The phylogenetic relationships of 36 locally grown Prunus armeniaca genotypes which are collected from nine sampling sites from two valleys viz. Nubra (9,600 ft) and Leh (11,500 ft) of trans-Himalayan region were analyzed using 31 PCR markers (20 RAPDs and 11 ISSRs). This is the first report of molecular genetic diversity studies in apricot from this region of the world. RAPD analysis yielded 139 fragments, of which 136 were polymorphic, with an average of 6.8 polymorphic fragments per primer. ISSR analysis produced 58 bands, of which 56 were polymorphic, with an average of 5.09 polymorphic fragments per primer. The primers based on (CT)n produced maximum number of bands (nine) while, (AT)n and many other motifs gave no amplification. RAPD markers were found more efficient with regards to polymorphism detection, as they detected 97.84 % as compared to 96.5 % for ISSR markers. Clustering of genotypes within groups was not similar when RAPD and ISSR derived dendrogram were compared, whereas the pattern of clustering of the genotypes remained more or less the same in RAPD and combined data of RAPD + ISSR. The results of PCA analysis were comparable to the cluster analysis. These analyses, allowed us to identify the groups corresponding to the two apricot collection sites.