DNA fingerprinting of Musa cultivars with oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes specific for simple repeat motifs.

Using synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes against restriction-digested genomic DNA, we have established DNA fingerprinting of Musa cultivars. Of all the enzymes used, Eco RI and Hin dIII were found to be most informative, giving rise to individual specific band patterns with oligonucleotide probes of 15- to 18-base residues. Of the several probes and enzyme combinations used, the 15mer GACA probe with Eco RI and Hin dIII digests revealed a maximal level of polymorphism, and the probability of obtaining an identical band pattern between any two random genotypes was calculated to be 1.50 x 10(-9) and 1.59 x 10(-9), respectively. Oligonucleotide probes longer than 22 residues were also used but did not hybridize. The present approach is useful for cultivar identification and for overall genome analysis to establish relatedness among the various accessions of the Musa germplasm originating from different geographic locations. The relevance of using synthetic oligonucleotide probes based on simple repeat motifs for achieving DNA fingerprinting pattern is discussed.