Vinod Kataria

A genetically stable rooting protocol for propagating a threatened medicinal plant—Celastrus paniculatus

Nodal segments, obtained from 12 years-old mature plant, were used as explants for in vitro propagation of Celastrus paniculatus, an important medicinal plant of India. Shoot multiplication was achieved by repeated transfer of mother explants and subculturing of in vitro produced shoot clumps on MS medium supplemented with various concentrations of BAP alone or in combination with auxin (IAA or NAA). In vitro raised shoots were rooted under ex vitro condition. Genetic fidelity of the regenerated plants was assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD).

Cross species transferability and characterization of microsatellite markers in Prosopis cineraria, a multipurpose tree species of Indian Thar Desert

ABSTRACT Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce, family Fabaceae, is an important multipurpose tree species of the Indian Thar Desert. It is an extremely drought and heat tolerant plant and has ability to survive in highly alkaline and saline environments. Considering the commercial, horticultural and ecological importance of P. cineraria, there is a great need to develop genomic resources in the form of microsatellite markers for the genetic enhancement of this crop. We identified and characterized 10 microsatellite markers in P. cineraria by cross species amplification. Total 18 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) primer pairs developed in P. chilensis, P. alba, and P. flexuosa were used to amplify SSR loci in P. cineraria. Out of eighteen SSR markers tested, ten (55.5%) amplified recognizable amplicons. The number of alleles detected at each locus ranged from one to four, a total of 24 with an average of 2.4 alleles. Observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) values varied from 0.14 to 0.85 and 0.21 to 0.56 with an average of 0.47 and 0.37, respectively. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.49 to 0.78 with an average of 0.66. Of the nine polymorphic markers, seven were highly informative and polymorphic (PIC > 0.5). These microsatellite markers are characterized for the first time in P. cineraria. All microsatellite markers identified in this study may be useful in comparative genomics and population genetics studies of P. cineraria.

Exploring genetic variability in Prosopis cineraria using two gene targeted CAAT box-derived polymorphism (CBDP) and start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism markers

Two gene targeted molecular marker systems, CAAT box-derived polymorphism (CBDP) and start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism, were used to assess the genetic diversity and relatedness in Prosopis cineraria, a tree of abiotic stress tolerance, agroforestry and ethano-botanical importance. A total of ten wild populations consisting 49 individuals collected from different locations of Indian Thar Desert were examined for the genetic analysis of P. cineraria. Ten CBDP and seven SCoT primers, total 17 primers, generated 204 bands with an average of 12 bands per primer, of which 159 (76.8%) were polymorphic. The average PIC values for both CBDP and SCoT marker were 0.543 and 0.547, respectively. The cumulative data of these two markers were used to analyze different genetic diversity indices and compute pair-wise distances. The population genetic diversity analysis based on cumulative data of CBDP and SCoT markers revealed the high levels of genetic differentiation (GST = 0.341; GST > 0.15 as high), low value of gene flow (Nm = 0.966; Nm > 1 as high) and high fixation index (FST = 0. 415). The highest genetic diversity was observed among NGBAR populations followed by CHR populations, while SIK populations showed lowest genetic diversity. AMOVA revealed the percent molecular variation was higher within the populations (77%) compared to that of among populations (23%). The clustering pattern based on UPGMA and PCoA plot clearly demonstrated the genetic relationship among the genotypes collected from the different regions of Indian Thar Desert.