Preliminary investigation for the identification of Sri Lankan Cinnamomum species using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and sequence related amplified polymorphic (SRAP) markers

Abstract

Cinnamon is one of the important minor export crops in Sri Lanka. Cinnamomum verum Presl is known as true cinnamon and seven other wild Cinnamomum spp. such as C. dubium Nees, C. citriodorum Thw., C. capparu — coronde Blume, C. litseaefolium Thw., C. ovalifolium Weight, C. rivulorum Kostermans and C. sinharajaense Kostermans are native to Sri Lanka. The identification of Cinnamomum species is still based on morphological characters, which are influenced by environmental factors. Therefore, molecular markers such as randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) were employed in order to find a more reliable approach to identify Cinnamomum species correctly. Using RAPD and SRAP techniques, it was possible to detect the polymorphism as well as to identify the Cinnamomum species. Fourteen RAPD primers and 20 sets of SRAP primer combinations gave amplification products. However, one set of SRAP primer combinations produced more markers for Cinnamomum species than the RAPD markers. Amplification products from both techniques could be categorized as genus specific, species specific and intra-species specific markers. Both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based techniques employed in this study can be used to identify the species, to estimate the genetic diversity of Cinnamomum spp. and to detect polymorphism, which could be used to screen the accessions of germplasm collected at the Department of Export Agriculture, Sri Lanka.