Abstract
Walnut is one of the main nut crops of world importance. Conservation and efficient use of genetic resources is one of the fundamental principles of breeding work. The most efficient way to work with genetic resources is to create core collections that include most of the genetic diversity with the least number of samples in the collection. There are several different approaches to the creation of core collections, differing in the criteria for the selection of characters and the number of samples in the collection. This article provides an overview of the most effective approaches to creating walnut core collections in southern Russia. Of course, both genetic and phenotypic diversity should be taken into account. Microsatellite markers or SNPs may be the most appropriate tools for assessing genetic diversity, depending on the objectives and sample sizes. The article also provides an overview of the most valuable traits from the point of view of walnut breeding in the North Caucasus.
Highlights
Walnut is one of the most widespread crops in the world [1]
The most efficient way to work with genetic resources is to create core collections that include most of the genetic diversity with the least number of samples in the collection
Artificial selection carried out by breeders can significantly reduce the genetic diversity of a culture, which negatively affects the potential of genetic collections as sources of new traits and their combinations [3]
Summary
Walnut is one of the most widespread crops in the world [1]. The largest walnutproducing countries are the USA and China [2]. The volume of walnuts production in the world is increasing annually. This is due to both the growth of the world's population and the growing needs of the population for nut crops with high nutritional value. Breeders in an effort to improve the phenotypic properties of genotypes rely on the genetic diversity of forms in collections. It can be concluded that genetic collections should be as large as possible. Such collections include most of the available genetic diversity, the most promising traits from the point of view of breeding. There are different approaches to the formation of core collections, and for each individual case, significant differences are possible [4]
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