A study was undertaken to examine the microsatellite markers based polymorphism for molecular characterization of aerobic rice genotypes and validation of their utility for genotypic authentication and assessment of genetic purity. Using a panel of four polymorphic and informative microsatellite primers, amplification of targeted genomic regions was performed in the four aerobic rice genotypes and the six inter-genotypic seed mixtures produced by mixing the seeds in pair-wise combinations of the four promising elite genotypes. Analysis of amplification patterns revealed unique or entry specific allele enabling unambiguous genotyping of the four elite lines. Molecular profiling of the genotypic mixtures indicated either a combination of two distinct bands or a diffused complementary band, distinguishing the varietal mixtures from the referral elite genotypes at least with a single marker allele difference. Spatial distribution pattern of the entries along the two principal axes indicated that inter-genotypic mixtures were placed at nearly intermediate positions along the central axes between the corresponding referral elite genotypes, supporting the interrelationships and inferences deduced from the results of similarity coefficients based hierarchical association displayed by the dendrogram. Experimental results validated the microsatellite markers used in the present study and led to conclude that these markers can be effectively and efficiently utilized for discrimination, individualization and authentication of the aerobic rice entries.   

Key words: Aerobic rice, Genetic authentication, Genetic variation, Microsatellites, Purity testing