Survey and assessment of genetic diversity for yellow leaf disease, and DNA fingerprinting of Arecanut (Areca catechu L.) genotypes using molecular markers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v20i1.2801Keywords:
Arecanut, ISSR, PIC, RAPD, RGP, Western Ghats, yellow leaf diseaseAbstract
Areca nut traditionally known for its stimulant properties, has gained recognition for its medicinal uses in treating schizophrenia and glaucoma, while also serving as a mild stimulant and digestive aid. Its production faces significant challenges, primarily from biotic stresses such as yellow leaf disease (YLD), particularly endemic in the Malnad region of Karnataka, India. Yellow leaf disease poses a substantial threat, causing heavy yield loss with no current cure; therefore, breeding for resistance is imperative. Disease-free palms identified in heavily affected regions may harbor unique gene families. This study utilized three marker systems viz., random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR), and resistant gene-based markers (RGP) to differentiate YLD-resistant areca palms from susceptible ones. The resistant gene primer (RGP) demonstrated the highest polymorphism, with a polymorphic information content (PIC) ranging from 0.45 to 0.83 and an average PIC of 0.72 among the arecanut genotypes. Other markers, OPAF 06, UBC 351, and RGP1, also exhibited significant polymorphism. The markers effectively differentiated susceptible and resistant genotypes into distinct clusters. The outcomes provide valuable insights for map-based cloning of YLD resistance genes. This molecular characterization lays the foundation for developing targeted treatments and diagnostics for YLD, emphasizing the importance of genetic approaches in securing areca nut production against this devastating disease.
Downloads
References
Bharath, B. G., Ananda, K. S., Rijith, J., Nagaraja, N. R., Chandran, K. P., Karun, A., & Rajesh, M. K. (2015). Studies on genetic relationships and diversity in arecanut (Areca catechu L.) germplasm utilizing RAPD markers. Journal of Plantation Crops, 43(2), 117–125.
Garg, A., Singh, A. K., Prabhu, K. V., Mohapatra, T., Tyagi, N. K., Nandakumar, N., & Zaman, F. U. (2006). Utility of a fertility restorer gene linked marker for testing genetic purity of hybrid seeds in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Seed Science and Technology, 34(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2006.34.1.02
George, M. V., Mathew, J., & Nagaraj, B. (1980). Indexing the yellow leaf disease of areca nut. Journal of Plantation Crops, 8, 82–85.
Goswami, S., & Tripathi, V. (2010). The use of ISSR and RAPD markers for detecting DNA polymorphism, genotype identification and genetic diversity among Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. cultivars. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 2(12), 405–413.
Heatubun, C. D., Dransfield, J., Flynn, T., Tjitrosoedirdjo, S. S., Mogea, J. P., & Baker, W. J. (2012). A monograph of the betel nut palms (Areca: Arecaceae) of East Malesia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 168(2), 147–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2011.01199.x
Hiremata, V., Narayanaswamy, M., & Shet, R. M. (2022). Assessment of growth and yield parameters in arecanut (Areca catechu L.) through correlation and path analysis under hilly zone of Karnataka. Journal of Horticultural Sciences, 17(2), 333–340. https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v17i2.992
Hiremata, V., Narayanaswamy, M., Gangaprasad, S., Sathish, K. M., & Narayanaswamy, H. (2020a). Assessment of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield in arecanut (Areca catechu L.). International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2(4), 228–232.
Hiremata, V., Narayanaswamy, M., Narayanaswamy, H., & Satish, K. M. (2020b). Survey for the assessment of arecanut yellow leaf disease (YLD) incidence in Malnad region of Karnataka. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2(3), 326–328.
Indiastat. (2023). Indiastat. https://www.indiastat.com
Liu, H. J. (2010). Genetic diversity of hainan arecanut and yellow leaf disease of arecanut relations (Master’s thesis). Hainan University, Haikou, China.
Manimekalai, R., & Nagarajan, P. (2006). Interrelationships among coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) accessions using RAPD technique. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 53, 1137–1144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-005-1303-z
Manimekalai, R., Kumar, R. S., Soumya, V. P., & Thomas, G. V. (2010). Molecular detection of phytoplasma associated with yellow leaf disease in areca palms (Areca catechu) in India. Plant Disease, 94(11), 1376. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-10-0440
Mutlu, N., Miklas, P. N., & Coyne, D. P. (2006). Resistance gene analog polymorphism (RGAP) markers co-localize with disease resistance genes and QTL in common bean. Molecular Breeding, 17, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-005-4474-6
Nampoothiri, K. U. K., Ponnamma, K. N., & Chowdappa, P. (2000). Arecanut yellow leaf disease. CPCRI, Kasaragod, India.
Panwar, P., Jha, A. K., Pandey, P. K., Gupta, A. K., & Kumar, A. (2011). Functional markers based molecular characterization and cloning of resistance gene analogs encoding NBS-LRR disease resistance proteins in finger millet (Eleusine coracana). Molecular Biology Reports, 38, 3427–3436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0452-0
Ponnamma, K. N., Rajeev, G., & Solomon, J. J. (1991). Detection of mycoplasma-like organisms in Proutista moesta (Westwood), a putative vector of yellow leaf disease of areca nut. Journal of Plantation Crops, 19, 63–66.
Powell, W., Machray, G. C., & Provan, J. (1996). Polymorphism revealed by simple sequence repeats. Trends in Plant Science, 1(7), 215–222.
Purushotham, B., Narayanaswamy, P., Simon, L., Shyamalamma, S., Mahabaleshwar, H., & Jayapalogwdu, B. (2008). Genetic relationship between cultivars of areca nut (Areca catechu L.) determined by RAPD. The Asian and Australasian Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology, 2(1), 31–35.
Qi, L., He, M., Jiang, S., Zhou, H., Liu, F., Mehmood, S., & Xia, Z. (2025). Genetic diversity and population structural analysis of Areca catechu revealed by single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Horticulturae, 11(3), 295. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030295
Rajesh, M. K., Bharathi, M., & Nagarajan, P. (2007). Optimization of DNA isolation and RAPD technique in areca nut (Areca catechu L.). Agrotropica, 19, 31–34.
Ramaswamy, M., Nair, S., Soumya, V. P., & Thomas, G. V. (2013). Phylogenetic analysis identifies a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma oryzae’ related strain associated with yellow leaf disease of areca palm (Areca catechu L.) in India. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 63(4), 1376–1382. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.043315-0
Rawther, T. S. S. (2000). Origin, distribution and spread. In Areca nut yellow leaf disease (pp. 68–75). Central Plantation Crop Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.
Yang, J., Liao, Y. J., Ning, J. H., Wang, J. Z., Wang, H., & Ren, Z. G. (2020). Identification of a phytoplasma associated with Syringa reticulata witches broom disease in China. Forest Pathology, 50(3), e12592. https://doi.org/10.1111/efp.12592
Published
Data Availability Statement
NA
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Virupakshi Hiremata, M Narayanaswamy, Amaresh Hadimani, Shanawaz Ahmed, N U Vani, Priyanka Mirji, Prathyaksha Mogra, N Chandrashekar (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright. Articles published are made available as open access articles, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 
This journal permits and encourages authors to share their submitted versions (preprints), accepted versions (postprints) and/or published versions (publisher versions) freely under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable.
. 
