Genetic diversity analysis of Jatropha curcas L. accessions cultivated in Taiwan using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers

The study of genetic diversity in different Jatropha curcas L. accessions cultivated in Taiwan comprises a necessary first step in germplasm evaluation towards improving this plant species. Genetic variations of 78 Jatropha curcas L. accessions representing origin of eight countries, cultivated in two locations in Taiwan were determined using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Out of 22 screened UBC primers set No. 9, ten primers amplified a total of 27 loci with 23 be polymorphic (85.19 %). Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) cluster analysis indicated two main clusters with the Dice coefficient of similarity ranging from 0.62 to 1.00. Although the grouping was not related to cultivation locations, there was close genetic relationship among the Jatropha populations. Analysis of molecular variance revealed 31.23 % of the variability attributable to among populations with the remaining 68.77 % within Jatropha populations. The overall analysis of different populations suggests less variation of cultivated Jatropha populations in Taiwan.