Elucidating Genetic Diversity in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivated in the North-Western Himalayan Provinces of India Using SSR Markers.

Zahid Nabi Sheikh,Maha Aljabri,Rafiq Ahmad Shah,Javid Iqbal Mir,Shilpa Raina,Naser Alkenani,Khalid Rehman Hakeem,Vikas Sharma

doi:10.3390/plants10122668

Abstract

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an important temperate fruit crop worldwide. The availability of wild apricot germplasm and its characterization through genomic studies can guide us towards its conservation, increasing productivity and nutritional composition. Therefore, in this study, we carried out the genomic characterization of 50 phenotypically variable accessions by using SSR markers in the erstwhile States of Jammu and Kashmir to reveal genetic variability among accessions and their genetic associations. The genetic parameter results revealed that the number of alleles per locus (Na) ranged from 1 to 6 with a mean Na value of 3.89 and the mean effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus 1.882 with a range of 1.22 to 2. Similarly, the polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.464 to 0.104. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) (0.547) was found to have higher than expected heterozygosity (He) (0.453) with average heterozygosity of 0.4483. The dendrogram clustered genotypes into three main clades based on their pedigree. The population structure revealed IV sub-populations with all admixtures except the III sub-population, which was mainly formed of exotic cultivars. The average expected heterozygosity (He) and population differentiation within four sub-populations was 1.78 and 0.04, respectively, and explained 95.0% of the total genetic variance in the population. The results revealed that the SSR marker studies could easily decrypt the genetic variability present within the germplasm, which may form the base for the establishment of good gene banks by reducing redundancy of germplasm, selection of parents for any breeding program.

Highlights

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L) is one of the influential fruits of the Rosaceae family that is mostly produced in temperate climates
The results revealed that the SSR marker studies could decrypt the genetic variability present within the germplasm, which may form the base for the establishment of good gene banks by reducing redundancy of germplasm, selection of parents for any breeding program
Our investigation has dispensed a broader context on genetic variability and core structure among apricot accessions in Jammu and Kashmir

Summary

Introduction

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L) is one of the influential fruits of the Rosaceae family that is mostly produced in temperate climates. SSR markers have been adapted in Turkey, China, Morocco and other diverse eco-geography groups [2,3,11,39,40,41,42,43] These studies have helped us to understand the molecular genetic variability and population structure of the local population but have helped researchers to advance biological research and the development of future breeding programs in Prunus armeniaca L. In this part of India, no such type of study has been carried out so far to evaluate the genetic diversity of the Prunus armeniaca L from the whole temperate areas of Jammu and Kashmir through SSR markers. This study was undertaken to examine the genetic diversity and population structure between 50 apricot genotypes (local and exotic cultivars) and to evaluate the degree of variation among and within eco-geographical groups and subgroups of apricot germplasm taken into consideration

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion