Alo Saha, Rajdeep Das, Sudha Chandan Kashyap, Swarupa Bhattacharjee, Kangkan Sarma, Sourabh Kr. Das, Pallwabee Duarah and Nilave Bhuyan
Abstract
Antheraea assamensis is commercially exploited for extraction of âmugaâ silk. A survey made in three different muga cultivating areas of Jorhat district of Assam reveals that the breeding stock of silk worms is identified mainly based on body weight and feeding habit. To find the level of genetic diversity within the germplasm collected based on these characters, a study was designed using RAPD markers. Pearsonâs correlation analysis showed that there exists a significant correlation between weight, feeding habit and cocoon weight of the worms. Based on these results, two groups of genotypes, âbestâ and âpoorâ were selected and a molecular diversity analysis was performed between the groups. Calculated distance matrix showed that selection of genotypes based on limited characters might lower genetic diversity within the collection. Therefore, addition of other selection criteria is necessary for identification of parental genotypes with wide genetic base.