DETERMINATION OFJOJOBA (Simmondsia chinensis) PLANT GENDER BASED ON A MALE-SPECIFIC DNA FRAGMENTS USING PCR ASSAY
Abstract
Agricultural production in desert and semi-arid regions is limited due to harsh conditions, however, advances in biotechnology offer new opportunities. One promising crop is jojoba, which requires a specific male and female planting ratio for optimal growth. Therefore, early identification of the plants' gender is crucial for successful cultivation. This study developed PCR primers generated from male-specific DNA sequences that distinguish between male and female jojoba plants. One set of primers, HQF and HQR produced a distinct fragment (~281 bp) in male plant samples only. Also, KP76F and KP76R primers produced a unique fragment (~326 bp) found only in male plant samples. Furthermore, when using KP75F and KP75R primers, two fragments were produced, one was male-specific (~150 bp) and the other fragment present in both male and female samples (~100). Using these primers allowed rapid and reliable determination of jojoba gender, enabling early selection of female plants and reducing costs associated with non-productive male plants. Ultimately, simple PCR analysis can potentially determine gender type in jojoba plants at any growth stage.
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