Genetic Diversity of Iranian Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) Accessions, using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) Markers

Cuminum cyminum L. (cumin) is an aromatic plant, commonly used in food industries and traditional medicine, especially in tropical Asia. Various accessions of C. cyminum with different aromatic properties could be found in Iran, as a main region of cumin production. This study was conducted to evaluate genetic diversity of 22 accessions of C. cyminum from different parts of Iran. The seeds were cultivated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), with 22 accessions and three replicates, and their agro-morphological traits were measured. Genetic variations of the studied accessions were evaluated using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) markers. Estimate of molecular variance showed a significant genetic difference between the studied accessions, whereby 57% of total variance was occurred between the populations. Based on the Mantel test for association of genetic diversities and geographical distances, increase of geographical distance did not influence the genetic differentiation. Significant differences were observed between the studied agro-morphological traits, other than the number of branches. Canonical correspondence analysis of genetic features and environmental factors, including five geographic and climatic factors of the seed’s origin, showed significant influences of altitude and latitude on genetic variation of the studied accessions. However, despite the observed genetic variations, the studied cumin accessions, are not totally isolated and hence some amount of gene flow has been occurred between them. Therefore, no isolation by distance exists between the studied accessions. Generally, the results confirmed that both ISSR and SCoT markers were reliable and useful tools for analyzing the genetic diversity of cumin in Iran.