Assessment of genetic relationships among common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) varieties from Western Balkans using morphological and SSR molecular markers

• Main Authors: Grahić Jasmin, Đikić Mirha, Gadžo Drena, Šimon Silvio, Kurtović Mirsad, Pejić Ivan, Gaši Fuad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Serbian Genetics Society 2018-01-01
• Series: Genetika
• Subjects: common buckwheat; SSR; morphological markers; factorial correspondence analysis; hierarchical clustering
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0534-0012/2018/0534-00121803791G.pdf
• ISSN: 0534-0012; 1820-6069

In order to assess the genetic relationships and diversity among common buckwheat from Western Balkans, three varieties produced under the names ‘Čebelica’, ‘Darja’ and ‘Goluba’ were evaluated with a set of 10 SSR and 32 morphological markers. Eight of ten primer pairs used managed to amplify SSR alleles, in average 7 alleles per locus. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that only 2.6% of the total diversity was attributed to the differences among ‘Darja’ and ‘Goluba’. The largest percentage of variance between varieties was detected among ‘Goluba’ and ‘Čebelica’ (fCT = 0.136; p < 0.001). Factorial correspondence analysis also revealed a clear differentiation between these two varieties. Results of hierarchical clustering based on morphological data of the three analyzed common buckwheat varieties were not in a complete accordance with the results obtained through genetic analyses, as it displayed a much larger difference between ‘Darja’ and ‘Čebelica’, than between ‘Goluba’ and ‘Ĉebelica’. However, the differentiation among the analyzed varieties based on SSRs and Euclidean distances, calculated using morphological data, was the same. Namely, both approaches identified ‘Čebelica’ as the most divergent material among the analyzed varieties. The results of the genetic characterization indicate that the purity of varieties of cross pollinated species produced in Western Balkans is questionable due to use of seed material of unverified origin, as well as the general use of farm saved seeds.