Abstract
All cycads are strictly dioecious with a long juvenile stage. Currently, there is no method available to determine the sexuality of seedlings prior to the onset of cone formation. This study aimed to develop a sex specific Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker for Encephalartos natalensis. Initially, 140 primers were used to amplify the bulk DNA of five individuals each of known male and female sexuality. While a high degree of polymorphism was observed in the amplification profiles of male and female plants, only primer OPD-20 generated a specific band (∼850 bp) in female DNA. To validate this observation, this primer was re-tested with 69 individuals of E. natalensis. The 850 bp DNA band was present in all 38 female individuals tested and it was consistently absent in all 31 male plants tested. The result offers a rapid and simple test to determine sexuality of E. natalensis seedlings at early stages of development, before the onset of reproductive maturity thereby saving time and economic resources when cultivating these specimens.
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Acknowledgements
Financial assistance was provided by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa. Alison Young, Horticulturist, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, and Chris Dalzell, Curator, Durban Botanical Garden, Durban, South Africa, are thanked for identifying and providing plant material.
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Prakash, S., Van Staden, J. Sex identification in Encephalartos natalensis (Dyer and Verdoorn) using RAPD markers. Euphytica 152, 197–200 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-006-9198-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-006-9198-0