Genetic diversity of coconut germplasm native to South Kalimantan, Indonesia: a molecular study

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.