Assessment of nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast RFLP markers in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

• Published in: Theoretical and applied genetics Vol. 90; no. 5; pp. 643 - 649
• Main Authors: JACK, P. L, DIMITRIJEVIC, T. A. F, MAYES, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01-04-1995; Berlin
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids; Elaeis guineensis; Elaeis oleifera; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Pteridophyta, spermatophyta; Vegetals; Monocotyledones; Restriction fragment length polymorphism; Genetic variability; Genetic marker; Angiospermae; Chloroplast DNA; Chromosome DNA; Spermatophyta; Mitochondrial DNA; Palmae; Elaeis guineensis; Oil plant(vegetal)
• ISSN: 0040-5752; 1432-2242
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00222128

A variety of DNA probes was used to screen a diverse set of oil palm accessions in order to identify markers with a utility in genotype discrimination. This survey included samples of the commercial oil palm native to Africa (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), the closely-related South American species [E.oleifera (HBK) Cortes] and inter-specific hybrids of the two. Of 106 major chloroplast bands none showed differences between E. guineensis and E. Oleifera. Mitochondrial and ribosomal probes were more informative inter-specifically (the former allowing identification of the maternal inheritance of mitochondria) and may be useful in hybrid breeding programmes; however, they were unable to identify polymorphism within E. guineensis. In contrast, low-copy nuclear genomic clones were able to identify intra-specific variation, though in most cases they revealed a relatively small number of allelic variants. One DNA probe showed a much larger number of band variants, revealing ten patterns amongst 13 E. guineensis accessions, and should prove useful in genetic fingerprinting and evaluation of oil-palm germplasm collections.