Simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis for assessment of genetic variability in wild cherry germplasm

Abstract

Conservation of genetic resources is vital for future breeding programs and food security for humans. Before conservation of genetic resources, it requires objective characterization and a proper assignation of individual genotypes to species. The aim of this study was to characterize of 58 Prunus accessions which belong to Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus and Prunus mahaleb by using 12 SSR markers. All twelve SSR markers produced successful amplifications and revealed DNA polymorphisms. The number of allele per loci varied from 6 (UDP96-019) to 12 (PS12A02) with an average of 9 per allele. The average of observed and expected heterozygosity was found to be 0.609 and 0.720. The allele size varied from 95 to 276 bp. The number of genotypes per allele were 7 (UCD-CH13) and 24 (UDP96-005). Genetic distance analysis based on SSRs divided the cherry accessions in three main groups based mainly on their species characteristics. P. cerasus genotypes had higher similarity ratio within species than P. mahaleb and P. avium.