IDENTIFICATION OF DNA MARKER FOR NECTARILESS TRAIT IN COTTON USING RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA TECHNIQUE

Nectaries are nectar producing epidermal glands located on lower side of cotton leaves. Nectar is sugar rich food source for insect pests. The leaf nectaries provide nectar source long before the plants begin to flower and attract insects. Double recessive genotype produces nectariless phenotype which confers resistance to pink bollworm. Incorporation of double recessive trait would be easier if DNA marker for the trait is developed and used in marker assisted selection/backcrossing. Random Amplified polymorphic DNA technique was used to identify DNA markers linked with this trait. More than 300 RAPD primers were used to find linkage with the trait. Only one primer GLE-11 was found linked to the nectariless trait, this primer amplified a polymorphic DNA fragment of 1145bp between the parents and bulks. Three recombinants were observed out of 30 individual plants showing the presence of this marker at 10cM distance from the nectariless loci. This DNA marker was named as GLE-111145. This marker can be converted into SCAR and may be used in breeding.