Caracterización molecular de materiales cultivados de gulupa (Passiflora edulis f. edulis)

Objective: To evaluate through RAM (Random Amplified Microsatellites) molecular markers the genetic diversity of cultivated materials of gulupa (Passiflora edulis f. edulis), collected in the departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca and Huila. Materials and methods. Young and healthy leaves were collected from crop fields of gulupa for DNA extraction and characterization through RAM molecular markers, according to Hantula's protocol (1996). Binary data of the type presence/absence were collected from the electrophoretic profiles. Data were analyzed with NTSYS- pc- 2.0 statistical package, obtaining a similarity matrix using the Dice coefficient. Results. RAM markers were efficient in detecting polymorphism in this species. Four universal primers were used that produced 88.8% of polymorphism. In general terms, with the RAM molecular markers a high genetic diversity was detected in the areas where gulupa is cultivated in Colombia. In the present study no geographical relatedness was found with the accessions evaluated for department or locality. Conclusions. The materials of gulupa evaluated in this study showed a high genetic diversity (0.291-1), probably due to the propagation method, its diverse provenances and the short time of establishment of the culture in Colombia.