Assessment of genetic variation in Linum L. using SPAR markers

Abstract

Flax (Linum usitatissimum subsp. usitatissimum) is an important crop plant cultivated both for its fiber and seed oil content. Uniform cultivation and selection practice may lead to genetic erosion and reduced genetic variability of Linum cultivars, which in turn makes the crop vulnerable to diseases and pathogens. Therefore we performed a genetic diversity analysis of few populations including both Linum usitatissimum subsp. usitatissimum L. and L. Bienne L. We used a combination of single primer amplification reaction markers, including RAPD, ISSR, and RAMPO molecular markers for genetic variability study. In general, all three molecular markers revealed a low degree of genetic variability in the materials studied; however, L. bienne had a higher level of genetic variability. Clustering and network analyses grouped the studied plants inter-mixed and did not separate the studied species or populations. STRUCTURE plot and K-Means clustering also identified these populations as genetically homogenous. These results indicate the need for introducing new linseed cultivars into the country for future hybridization and breeding programmes.