RAPD Analysis of Somaclonal Variation on Different Abnormal Morphological Characteristics at Post Planting Stage in Musa Accuminata cv. Berangan.

Musa Accuminata cv. Berangan have high demand for local consumption and exportation. However, somaclonal variation can becomes a problem in micropropagation where it has been known to cause mutation, phenotypic variation or genetic variation. Somaclonal variation resulted during tissue culture stages and the explant were treated with different
concentration of 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) treatments to induced somaclonal variation. From the treatments, the morphological changes of the explant were in parallel with the increased BAP concentration used during growth in tissue culture stages. Besides, genetic polymorphism of bananas with varied morphologies during tissue culture stages could
also be detected by using the molecular marker RAPD. But, the plantlet could revert to normal when the BAP treatment was removed, but at post-planting the individuals further
showed significant phenotypic changes especially their plant height. RAPD analysis were used in this study to assess the genetic diversity of somaclonal variation and sensitivity
to detect genetic polymorphisms in banana clones. Six arbitrary RAPD primers were used to analyse the genetic polymorphisms within the treatments and the morphologies of the banana clones at post-planting stages. A total 44 bands were amplified using RAPD primers, OPJ-13, OPB-10, OPU-06, OPA-19, OPA-15 and OPA-06. Primer, OPU-06 produced the highest number of bands (12) while primer OPJ-13 produced the lowest which is 3 total bands. Primer OPA-06 produced the highest number of polymorphic bands which was 5 total bands followed by OPJ-13 and OPA-19.From all the primers
used, three RAPD primers were identified (OPJ-13, OPA-19, OPA-06) as good primers to detect the polymorphisms between the individuals of the banana clones. This results
shown, all the selected primers were effective to amplify higher number of bands within the individual but could not differentiated the genetics polymorphisms through the treatments and the morphologies of Musa accuminata cv. Berangan at post-planting stages.