Analysis of phylogenetic relationships in popular Mangifera indica cultivars and ecotypes from Jamaica. (60)

Abstract

Use of rbcL RFLP confirmed the close phylogenetic relationships among the 22 selected Jamaican mango cultivars and ecotypes. Of four minisatellite-region core sequence primers, core primer 33.6 was used to highlight the genetic diversity among the cultivars and ecotypes, and to generate genetic profiles, which were then used for phylogenetic analysis. Distances between pairs of cultivars and ecotypes were wide and in the range of 0.200 – 0.917. The clustering seen from the DNA profile of the mangoes almost mirrors the observed differences in phenotypic characteristics such as: flavour, texture and colour. This information can be used to augment the current methods of selection and propagation of the preferred types.