Abstract

In the present scenario, the DNA markers become the marker of choice for the plant genetic analysis. At current year, different types of molecular markers are available and the selection of using specific type of marker depends on the user. Molecular markers are certain DNA sequences found at particular locations on genome and transmitted from one generation to the next by the standard laws of inheritance. Molecular markers are specific fragments of DNA are located at specific position of the genome which shows polymorphism between dissimilar individuals. They arise from mutations such as point mutations, insertions or deletions. These markers are selectively neutral because they are also positioned in non-coding regions of DNA so it phenotypically neutral. Molecular markers are the most widely used than morphological and biochemical markers due to their abundance. Molecular markers used in crop improvement for various purposes such as assessment of genetic diversity, genotyping, identification of quantitative-trait loci (QTLs), gene cloning, cultivar analysis, marker assisted selection (MAS), phylogenetic study, identification of disease resistance genes and linkage map, etc. This review article provides importance of different types of molecular markers such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), intersimple sequence repeats (ISSRs), simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in linseed genome study for several diverse applications including germplasm characterization, QTL mapping and gene mapping, etc.