Molecular Diversity and Genetic Structure of Durum Wheat Landraces

To determine the genetic diversity of durum wheat, 41 accessions from Morocco, Ethiopia, Turkey, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia were analyzed through Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) molecular markers. Out of the used twenty primers, 15 primers that included a considerable polymorphism were selected for the analyses. Among the genotypes under study, 163 fragments (73.7%) were polymorph. Several indexes were used to determine the most appropriate primers. While UBC812, UBC864, UBC840, and UBC808 primers were among those markers which produced the highest number of bands and polymorphic bands, they also dedicated the highest rate of polymorphic index content (PIC). These primers also possessed the highest amounts of effective multiplex ratio (EMR) and marker index (MI). Therefore, these primers can be recommended for genetic evaluation of the durum wheat. The results of cluster analysis and principle component analysis indicated that the observed genetic diversity in wheat materials under study is geographically structured. The results also indicated that the genetic diversity index based on ISSR markers was higher for Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, and Ethiopia accessions than for other countries. The high level of polymorphism in this collections durum wheat would agree with the suggestion that Fertile Crescent and parts of Africa are first possible diversity center of this crop.