Genetic homogeneity in Jatropha curcas L. individuals as revealed by microsatellite markers: implication to breeding strategies

Abstract

The extent of genetic diversity among 21 Jatropha curcas individuals originating from eight different countries (Cape Verde, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam) was estimated using 41 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The markers used include 29 previously reported SSR markers and 12 in-house developed SSR markers (by exploiting nucleotide sequences retrieved from public databases). All microsatellite markers were monomorphic, indicating the lack of genetic diversity among the individuals analyzed in the study. Though the seed sources were collected from eight different countries belonging to two different continents, this homogenous nature of J. curcas individuals revealed in SSR analysis was quite surprising. As J. curcas is a widely targeted industrial oil crop, this report warns the existence of narrow genetic base and limitation of SSR-based marker-assisted selection for further breeding and genetic improvement of these individuals.