Analysis of nucleotide structure and diversity of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of 87 representatives of Musaceae revealed the presence of more than one type of the ITS sequence within some Musa species and hybrid banana clones. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS sequences does not support Musella as a distinct genus within Musaceae and confirms close phylogenetic relationship of the species from sections Australimusa and Callimusa, and Eumusa and Rhodochlamys. Most of intraspecific banana hybrids contain conserved parental ITS sequences, indicating incomplete concerted evolution of rDNA loci.
Phylogenetic relationships within the family Musaceae were studied using the nuclear DNA sequence information derived from 19 unlinked nuclear genes representing the largest nucleotide dataset used for this purpose, to date. The data were also used for estimating the divergence dates of the main clades within the genus Musa and provided a substantial insight into course of speciation within the Musa genus.
Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are one of the major fruit crops worldwide with acknowledged importance as a staple food for millions of people. The rich genetic diversity of this crop is, however, endangered by diseases, adverse environmental conditions and changed farming practices, and the need for its characterization and preservation is urgent. With the aim to provide a simple and robust approach for molecular characterization of Musa species, we developed an optimized genotyping platform using 19 published SSR markers.
