Abstract
The success of any recurrent selection program depends on the genetic variability of the evaluated population, which is used to refer to the diversity of existing alleles at many genetic loci. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate the impact of recurrent selection across nine cycles of a UENF-14 popcorn population through the analysis of genetic diversity and structure using microsatellite markers (EST-SSRs). Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves of 25 individuals from each cycle (C0, C1 C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8), totaling 225 samples from the UENF-14 population. Fifty EST-SSR markers were used for the analysis of genetic diversity across the recurrent selection cycles, 16 of which were polymorphic. Thirty-four alleles were detected, with an average of 2.13 alleles per locus. Throughout all the recurrent selection cycles, there was a reduction in heterozygosity and an increase in inbreeding. The population structure showed a sharing of alleles, inferring that some may be directly related to the main selection characteristics.
Highlights
Investment in the breeding of popcorn in Brazil has grown considerably among public and private institutions, which allows for a reduction in the importation of seeds and an increase in the development of new varieties adapted to different regions of the country (Ribeiro et al, 2016)
To understand the genetic variation during selection cycles, estimating the proportion of heterozygotes in the populations is important to ensure the progress of the selection of traits of interest for the crop, as alterations in allele frequencies due to selection may lead to biased estimates and reduce the degree of polymorphism and expected heterozygosis (Choudhary et al, 2012; Sarcevic, Pejic, Baric, & Kozumplik, 2007)
To evaluate the genetic structure at the EST-SSR marker level of the UENF-14 popcorn population subjected to nine selection cycles, of the first 50 initially tested primers, 34 produced amplified DNA fragments, 16 of which were polymorphic (Table 1)
Summary
Investment in the breeding of popcorn in Brazil has grown considerably among public and private institutions, which allows for a reduction in the importation of seeds and an increase in the development of new varieties adapted to different regions of the country (Ribeiro et al, 2016). Recurrent selection is a methodology used in popcorn breeding programs aimed at the production of varieties in which the frequency of favorable alleles in original populations is increased, providing successive genetic gains (Hallauer & Carena, 2009; Pereira & Amaral Junior, 2001). To understand the genetic variation during selection cycles, estimating the proportion of heterozygotes in the populations is important to ensure the progress of the selection of traits of interest for the crop, as alterations in allele frequencies due to selection may lead to biased estimates and reduce the degree of polymorphism and expected heterozygosis (Choudhary et al, 2012; Sarcevic, Pejic, Baric, & Kozumplik, 2007). Knowing the variability and genetic structure of a population can contribute to the long-term success of breeding programs
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