IDENTIFICATION OF M4 GAMMA IRRADIATED MAIZE MUTANT BASED ON RAPD MARKERS

Gamma irradiation to induce mutation in plant has been used intensively since several decades ago. On maize, 275 Gy gamma irradiation has been known to increase genetic variability indicated by its morphological variation. Identification of genetic changes by molecular technique is important to detect mutation on DNA level of the plants. The objective of this research was to identify RAPD marker polymorphism on gamma irradiation mutants compared to their parents. The initial step of the research was to select random primers which could positively amplify the maize DNA. The result showed that among 60 random primers there were 15 primers that positively amplified the maize DNA. Amplification of both mutants and their parents by those 15 selected primers indicated that only 5 primers had polymorphism between mutants and their parents. Polymorphisms on mutant G1, G3 and G6 were detected at one locus, while on mutant G7, G8 and G9 were at two loci.