Use of SCoT markers to assess the gene flow and population structure among two different populations of bottle gourd

Notwithstanding the disadvantages of meager reproducibility and usual disassociation with any gene areas, ISSR, RAPD markers have been used for various molecular plant genetics analysis. Start codon targeted (SCoT) plant DNA markers, have principles of dominance and reproducibility but are advantageous as they mark the short conserved region flanking the ATG start codon in the genome that can further be used to target genes easily and efficiently. In the present study, we have used SCoT marker technique for genetic diversity analysis, estimating gene flow and population structure in the 39 bottle gourd germplasm collected from different regions of India. One hundred and sixty-one (161) amplicons were produced by 20 SCoT markers, generating 82.61% polymorphism. Using the marker data, we examined the distribution of genetic variation within and between populations. A Bayesian approach-based clustering program and population STRUCTURE analysis, proposed minor regional clustering based on geographical regions, with clear admixturing between both population signifying long-distance distribution measures between the populations. It is apparent from the results that SCoT markers are promising markers in research for diversity analysis and to target genes easily for the breeder, geneticist, and evolutionists.