Mulberry (Morus spp.) is an important crop in the sericulture industry, as the leaves constitute the primary feed for the silkworm. The availability of diverse genetic sources of resistance to root-knot nematode (RKN; Meloidogyne spp.) are very scanty. To address this need, a set of 415 varied exotic and indigenous germplasm accessions were screened under glasshouse conditions. Twenty-one accessions were identified as highly resistant and 48 were resistant, with the highest numbers of highly resistant/resistant accessions being found in Morus alba. Further, 30 accessions based on rooting ability were evaluated for field resistance at four different locations with infested soil. Finally, eight germplasm accessions (BR-8, Karanjtoli-1, Hosur-C8, Nagalur Estate, Tippu, Calabresa, Thai Pecah, and SRDC-3) were identified as potential genetic sources in RKN-resistance breeding programs or as resistant rootstock for the establishment of mulberry gardens. Sixteen simple sequence repeat markers analyzed among the 77 resistant and susceptible accessions generated 55 alleles, ranging from two to five, with an average of 3.43 alleles per locus. Principal coordinates analysis grouped the accessions on the basis of susceptibility and resistance to RKN infestation. The RKN-susceptible accessions exhibited higher variability as compared with resistant accessions, and they were more dispersed. Analysis of molecular variance showed maximum molecular variance was 78% within the population, and 22% between populations. Results of this study indicate that simple sequence repeat markers are reliable for assessing genetic variability among the RKN-resistant and RKN-susceptible mulberry accessions.
Keywords: Meloidogyne; Morus; genetic resources; mulberry; resistance; root-knot nematode.