Abstract:
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the most important
tree crops in the world, especially in the tropics. This study aimed
to determine the genetic diversity of coconut germplasm native
to South Kalimantan, Indonesia, using the rbcL marker. Nine
coconut samples, being eight natively collected from this region
and one as an outgroup (obtained from the GenBank database),
were used in the study. According to the rbcL marker, the coconut
germplasm native to South Kalimantan has a relatively high
diversity, with a nucleotide diversity (π) of 0.51. The level of
diversity is strongly correlated with the mutation present in the
observed region, rbcL. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the
coconut germplasm has a unique relationship, where the ‘Dalam’
cultivar is the closest to three other dwarf coconuts, i.e., ‘Genjah
Kuning 1’, ‘Genjah Kuning 3’ and ‘Wulung’.
KEYWORDS: Cocos nucifera L., breeding program,
phylogenetic analysis.
