POMEGRANATE MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH AFLP AND NEWLY IDENTIFIED SSR MARKERS

Among the minor fruit tree species, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has recently gained agronomic, commercial and scientific interest.
With the general aim of fingerprinting pomegranate accessions from the Mediterranean area, Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to estimate intra-specific genetic diversity among 33 genotypes coming from Sicily, Spain and Turkey, cultivated in the collection fields of Catania University in Sicily (Italy) and Cukurova University in Adana (Turkey). Seven EcoRI/MseI primer combinations were used, generating 121 polymorphic markers which unequivocally discriminated all the tested genotypes.
The subsequent UPGMA analysis based on the Dice coefficient, clearly revealed the degree of genetic diversity among the genotypes; those found in Sicily showed a high heterogeneity since some of them clustered with the Spanish ones, while others (such as the most diffused Italian cultivar ‘Dente di cavallo’ and a promising selection named ‘Primosole’) appeared to be nearest to the Turkish germplasm.
The analysis added new information regarding the level of genetic diversity among the most commonly cultivated cultivars in the three countries.
Moreover, the 33 genotypes were analyzed using a new set of pomegranate microsatellites, but the low level of polymorphisms did not allow discrimination among all the genotypes.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on the Challenge for a Sustainable Production, Protection and Consumption of Mediterranean Fruits and Nuts

S. La Malfa, M. Caruso, A. Gentile, S. Birceyudum Eman, Y. Aka-Kaçar, A. Ozguven

Punica granatum, biodiversity, microsatellites, minor fruit tree species

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.940.26