Genotypic Characterization of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Accessions from Mindanao, Philippines Using RAPD Markers

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is currently considered a potential source of new drugs for a variety of diseases due to the presence of curcuminoids, the most important being curcumin. The existence of genetic diversity in turmeric is documented in other countries but not in the Philippines, where turmeric is an introduced species. This study aims to determine the possible existence of genotypic diversity among turmeric accessions in Mindanao, Philippines using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Ten random primers were used for RAPD analysis from which a total of 209 amplification products were generated. Almost all the bands generated were polymorphic indicating genetic diversity among the accessions. Six primers (OPD08, OPB07, OPA11, OPA12, OPC05 and OPN16) had polymorphic information content values of almost 0.5, thus, were able to discriminate between the turmeric genotypes. Effective multiplex ratio and marker index were also relatively high for the same six markers except for OPA12.