GENETIC FIDELITY ANALYSIS OF ENCAPSULATED MICROSHOOTS OF SARCOSTEMMA BREVISTIGMA USING RAPD MARKERS.

In vitro grown microshoots of Sarcostemma brevistigma were used as explant for encapsulation. Encapsulated microshoots were kept at 25°C, and the success rate of regrowth was found to be approximately 50% following 1 months of storage. Encapsulated microshoots showed 37.66% formation of multiple shoots on plant growth regulator free Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Healthy root formation was observed in all microshoots following two weeks of transfer on half-strength MS medium containing 0.5 µM ?-naphthalene acetic acid and 0.5 µM Indole acetic acid. These plants were subsequently transferred to pots containing a mixture of soil, sand and farm yard manure (2:2:1, v/v), and then shifted in the greenhouse. In the green house and the overall survival was found to be 75% after 2 months. The genetic fidelity analysis of S. brevistigma plants developed from encapsulated microshoots was done using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. For molecular analysis 25 decamer primers were used to check genetic fidelity of plants selected from all three batches was carried out using. Only 5 primers produced scorable amplified products and a total of 38 bands were observed; out of these 10.52% bands were polymorphic. Cluster analysis of the RAPD profile revealed an average similarity coefficient of 0.95 confirming genetic stability of plants derived from encapsulated microshoots following 1 months of storage at 25°C.