Microsatellite markers for assessment of genetic diversity in Iranian Cicer germplasm

Biodiversity information in available germplasm is very useful, as it widely determines thesuccess of any breeding programme. To establish genetic diversity among 40 genotypes ofIranian Cicer minicore germplasm comprising cultigens, landraces, internationally developedimproved lines and wild relatives, genetic distances were evaluated using 16 SSR markers with100 marker loci. Estimation of mean number of allele per locus na, the effective allele number ne,and Wright fixation index F were 6.25, 3.67 and 0.44, respectively. Polymorphism informationcontent (PIC) values ranged from 0.84 (locus NCPGR6 and Ta135) to 0.44 (locus NCPGR7) withan average of 0.68. Dice (Nie and Li)'s coefficient similarity matrix for studied chickpeagenotypes varied from 0.07 to 1.00 indicating a broader genetic base among genotypes studied.The maximum similarity, 1.00, observed between genotypes Sel 96TH11484 and Sel 96TH11485while the lowest one, 0.07, observed between genotypes Sel 95TH1716 and Azad. Analysis ofmolecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 41% of the total variance was due to differencesamong groups while 59% was due to differences within groups. Genetic variation detected withinthe chickpea collection studied can be useful for selective breeding for specific traits such as coldtolerance, backcrossing, and in enhancing the genetic base of breeding programs.

Keywords:

Genetic diversity , Iranian chickpea landraces , AMOVA , SSR