Using RAPDs to assess the diversity in Indian cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) germplasm

Cashew is one of the most important plantation crops in India and is grown in the east and west coastal regions. Over one thousand clonal accessions of cashew are maintained in the National Cashew Gene Bank at the National Research Centre for Cashew, Puttur, Karnataka, India and Regional Cashew Gene Banks in the All India Coordinated Research Project on cashew centres. In the present study Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers have been used to estimate the diversity among 90 cashew accessions from the National Cashew Gene Bank. A dendrogram was constructed using Ward's method, squared Euclidean distance which confirmed that the diversity of Indian cashew collections can be considered to be "moderate" to "high". A core collection has been identified based on the study which represents the same diversity as the entire population. This could be the first step towards more efficient germplasm management of cashew in India.