Evaluation of genetic relationships of Triticum-Aegilops species possessing D genome in different ploidy levels using microsatellites

ABSTRACT: Genetic drift of germplasm in cultivated wheat is a good motivation for studying about genetic diversity in its wild relatives. Genetic variation in 20 accessions of Aegilops and Triticum belonged to different geographical origins from Iran, were evaluated using 10 SSR markers. The 10 microsatellites revealed a total of 42 alleles, with an average of 4.2 alleles per locus. The total average of polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.367, and the highest value had for Xgwm539. A comparison of the parameters showing genetic diversity, including the observed heterozygosity (Ho), number of effective alleles (Ne), Nei’s gene diversity (He) and Shannon’s information index (I) of accessions from different origins indicated that Ae. crassa possesses the highest genetic diversity, followed by Ae. tauschii. Cluster analysis separated total accessions in three groups. Principal co-ordinate analysis (PCO) revealed did not congruent cluster analysis. These results show that molecular markers can help to organize the genetic variability and expose useful diversity for breeding purposes. In addition this survey demonstrates the high diversity present in wild goatgrass in Iran.