Abstract

TOMAS, P.A; RIVERO, M.N  and  TOMAS, M.A. Characterization of genetic variability in Melilotus albus germplasm by ISSR and SSR molecular markers. BAG, J. basic appl. genet. [online]. 2017, vol.28, n.1, pp.27-39. ISSN 1852-6233.

Melilotus albus is a legume plant naturalized in Argentina with a great potential to be used as a forage resource in restricted environments. Our objective was to characterize 10 accessions of M. albus belonging to a collection from INTA and from the FCA-UNL by using molecular markers. Five ISSR primers producing 52 bands, 90 % of them polymorphic, were found to be equally informative. Eight SSR loci were amplified generating 30 alleles, averaging 3.8 alleles per locus, almost all of them highly informative. In numerical analysis, separation among accessions was unclear; genotypes congregate in complex intermixed groups. The greatest proportion of the variation was registered within accessions, in accordance with the allogamous reproductive nature of the species. Since neutral markers were used, the high variability encountered within accessions could be related to gene flow among them and/or a similar origin of the introduced materials. Results from this study support the fact that ISSR and SSR markers provide complementary information and that they are valuable and effective tools to be used to characterize the available germplasm of the species, although other markers such as the functional ones are recommended to better understand the variability in the species and its use in breeding programs.

Keywords : Melilotus; Genetic diversity; Microsatellite; Forage.

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