SEX DETERMINATION IN KAKROL( Momordica dioica Roxb) USING MOLECULAR MARKERS
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Date
2007
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ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, RAJENDRANAGAR, HYDERABAD
Abstract
Kakrol (Momordica dioica Roxb) is an underutilized dioecious vegetable of
cucurbitaceae family. It has high nutritional and medicinal value. Because of its dioecious
nature, it is difficult to go for organized cultivation, since the ratio of male to female will
be almost unity. Hence, determination of sex at seedling stage is very important in this
crop for economic planting of male and female ratio (10:90). The sex of the plant cannot
be predicted prior to flowering since no distinguishing morphological, cytological and
biochemical markers available.
The plant material for the present study comprised of 65 Kakrol plants
grown from tubers and seed, maintained at Biotechnology unit, Rajendranagar,
Hyderabad. The investigation was carried out using DNA from one male and one female
vine with Operon primer kits OPC and OPM. An annealing temperature of 40˚C was
found better for amplification of products. Of the 40 primers screened, four primers
(OPC-5, OPC-11, OPC-19 and OPM-18) expressed polymorphic band assumed to be sex
specific. Only one primer, OPC-5 expressed female specific band (1054bp) consistently
in DNA of five female vines. This female specific band was eluted and cloned for further
development into SCAR. This OPC-5 primer was used to screen DNA from 55
undifferentiated (Sex) seedlings. DNA from 23 seedlings expressed female specific band
of which only sixteen plants expressed female sex in field. Sex determination using
molecular marker is reliable to an extent of 70%.
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Keywords
SEX, DETERMINATION, KAKROL, USING, MOLECULAR, MARKERS