Microsatellite-based genetic diversity assessment in grape (Vitis vinifera L) germplasm and its relationship with agronomic traits

Abstract

The population of grape (Vitis vinifera L), commonly cultivated in India, shows a wide range of ripening periods and fruit quality and is an unexploited resource for breeding programs. The main purpose of this study was to fingerprint these accessions and to construct a molecular database including the cultivars commonly grown in India. A total of 42 genotypes were analyzed using seven microsatellite simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and their main morphological and agronomic characteristics were compared. A total of 45 alleles in all 42 genotypes were obtained with 7 primers with an average number of 6.4 alleles per locus. The dissimilarity matrix showed that a maximum of 110 units was obtained between the genotypes Convent Large Black and Arka Hans, while a minimum dissimilarity if 37 units were obtained between the genotypes Anab-e-Shahi and Dilkhush. In the dendrogram the microsatellite segregated the genotypes into two clusters (A and B) at 476 units with two subclusters each. The subclusters grouped genotypes predominantly as A1 with seeded fruits, A2 with seedless fruits, B1 with pigmented and seedless fruits, and B2 with colorless and seeded fruits. The use of seven polymorphic microsatellite markers and the level of genetic variability detected within Indian grapevine germplasm suggested that this is a reliable, efficient, and effective marker system that can be used for diversity analysis and subsequently in crop improvement programs.