title: Molecular characterization of  cajá, Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae), by RAPD markers.
abstract: The  arboreal species Spondias mombin L. (Anacardiaceae) is widely  distributed in Brazil, where the fruits, known by the common name of cajá, are  an important commercial commodity. We evaluated genetic variability among 32  cajá accessions of the Germplasm Collection of Embrapa Meio-Norte using RAPD  technique. Reaction conditions for efficient RAPD amplifications were optimized  in preliminary tests, and primers were selected from a set designed by the  University of British Columbia on the basis of high levels of polymorphism and  adequate band resolution. The 21 primers employed in the final analysis  produced 145 fragments, 79% of which were polymorphic. Based on the RAPD data,  a dendrogram was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with  arithmetic mean clustering technique. The 32 cajá accessions were classified  into three main groups with a mean genetic similarity of 68.8%. Group I  comprised 26 accessions (74.1% similarity), and group II included five  accessions (74.0% similarity), while group III consisted of one accession (BGC  06), which exhibited the lowest similarity coefficients. Accessions BGC 06 and  BGC 31 were the most unrelated and, hence, most suitable for initial crossings  in order to obtain high levels of segregation. We concluded, based on the  repeatability and reproducibility tests, that the RAPD technique is reliable  and efficient for revealing the genetic diversity of cajá accessions, which  will be useful for genetic improvement programs.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Meio-Norte, Teresina, PI, Brasil. sarmanho@cpamn.embrapa.br
authors.forename: A T B
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: V A B
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: R L F
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: P S C
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D027926:Anacardiaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D001938:Brazil; D001947:Breeding; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005638:Fruit / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers