Parjanto*, Sri Hartati, Endang Setia Muliawati, Endang Yuniastuti, Ida Rumia Manurung and Nadia Azzahro
Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
*Corresponding author: parjanto@staff.uns.ac.id
Sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) is an economically and nutritionally important tropical fruit, yet the genetic structure of its locally cultivated populations in Indonesia remains poorly documented. Such information is a prerequisite for evidence-based germplasm conservation and for selecting parental material in fruit breeding. This study assessed the intra- and inter-population genetic diversity of local sugar apple from two long-established cultivation centers in Central Java, namely Sukolilo-Pati (PT) and Gedangsari-Gunungkidul (GK). Genomic DNA was extracted from leaves of 24 trees (12 per population) and amplified by the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method using ten primers (A16, A18, B11, C11, C19, D8, D11, H20, W3, and W4). The ten primers generated 65 scorable loci, of which 20 (30.77%) were polymorphic, indicating a moderate level of variation. Nei’s gene diversity within populations was higher in PT (0.4098) than in GK (0.3648), whereas diversity between the two populations was lower (0.2179). Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) confirmed this pattern, partitioning 95% of the total variation within populations and only 5% among populations. The predominance of within-population variation reflects the outcrossing reproductive biology of the species and suggests that in situ conservation at both sites, combined with parent selection across rather than between populations, would most effectively safeguard and exploit the available genetic resources for Indonesian sugar apple improvement.