Genetic Identification and Conservation of Local Turkish Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Genotypes on the Edge of Extinction

Abstract

In the second half of the nineteenth century, intensive renovation of vineyards took place due to the losses caused by phylloxera and local varieties were mostly replaced by several worldwide cultivars. Shift in genotypic structure in favor of modern cultivars resulted in the decrease or even disappearance of regionally typical local varieties. A total of sixty five Turkish grape genotypes, including 5 references (four cultivars and one rootstock), were genotyped with 16 SSR and 15 SRAP markers. Sixteen SSR primers generated a total of 60 SSR amplicons in which 43 were polymorphic with 73.4% average polymorphism percentage. A total of 111 well-resolved clear DNA bands were obtained from 15 SRAP primers. Of these bands, 53 were highly polymorphic with an average of 47.74%. Cluster analysis based on pooled marker data generated a well resolved grouping pattern. The analyzed genotypes grouped basing on their geographical belongings. There were many cultivar pairs on the dendrogram most of which occurred between 0.75 and 0.90 levels. SSR and SRAP data revealed a wide genetic variability as well as certain synonyms among the historical grape varieties cultivated for decades in local vineyards lengthwise the mountainous regions of Konya, Karaman and Mersin provinces. All the genotypes have been maintained in a grapevine germplasm glasshouse. Preservation and use of these endangered genotypes will be helpful to avoid genetic erosion and diversity loss in this part of Turkey. Also, the molecular data generated in this study could be of great use in determining the optimal breeding strategies to allow continued progress in grapevine breeding.