Assessment of Molecular Diversity among Sponge Gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.) Genotypes Using RAPD and SCoT Markers

Molecular marker analysis can be used to identify and characterize genotypes in sponge gourd, aiding in various breeding applications. Therefore, this study explored the phylogenetic relationships among 26 genotypes of sponge gourd using 6 RAPD and 13 SCoT markers. The RAPD analysis revealed that the genotypes clustered into three major groups in the UPGMA phylogenetic tree, with similarity coefficients ranging from 0.26 to 0.82, indicating a significant level of genetic diversity among the genotypes. Group I comprised 17 genotypes, which were further sub-divided into several sub-groups, while Group II included eight genotypes, with VRSG-140 identified as a distinct outlier. The SCoT analysis yielded two clusters, with similarity coefficients ranging from 0.35 to 0.85, emphasizing substantial level of genetic variation. Notably, VRSG-8 and VRSG-6 formed a monophyletic sub-group within Group I. The highest polymorphic information content (PIC) values were recorded for RAPD-D25 (0.51) and SCoT-25 (0.56), corresponding to polymorphism percentages of 51% and 56%, respectively. These findings highlight the efficacy of these markers in assessing genetic diversity in sponge gourd and further utilization in breeding programme in sponge gourd.