Morphological and sequence-related amplified polymorphism-based molecular diversity of local and exotic wheat genotypes.

Assessing genetic diversity is a prerequisite for the genetic improvement of wheat. Molecular markers offer accurate and reproducible means for assessing genetic diversity. Field performance and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP)-based assessment of molecular diversity was carried out on a set of 10 local and introduced bread wheat (Triticum sativum L.) genotypes grown in the middle arid region of Saudi Arabia. The results revealed highly significant differences among the studied phenological traits and revealed a significant amount of genetic diversity across the tested genotypes. The overall performance revealed the superiority of KSU 102 in terms of yield and its components, with a yield potential of 8.7 tons/ha. Highly significant and positive correlations were observed among grain yield and biological yield, and also, spike length and spike weight. Thirteen SRAP primer combinations successfully amplified 954 fragments. The total number of genetic loci analyzed was 312. The overall polymorphism ratio was 99.67%, ranging from 98 to 100%. The polymorphic information content values ranged from 0.67 for ME11 x EM5 to 0.97 for ME9 x EM4 and ME11 x EM6, respectively. The wheat genotypes were clustered based on their genetic constitution and origin. The results demonstrate the power of SRAP primers for detecting molecular diversity and for varietal discrimination. The results show that high levels of genetic diversity exist, and suggest the potential of the tested materials for wheat crop improvement in the arid central region of Saudi Arabia.