Genetic diversity among mulberry genotypes from seven countries

Area of Science:

• Plant genetics
• Molecular biology
• Agricultural science

Background:

• Mulberry (Morus alba) is a vital woody plant with extensive historical and modern applications in pharmaceuticals, food, and agriculture.
• Understanding mulberry genetic diversity is crucial for developing improved hybrids and conservation strategies.
• Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers are effective tools for assessing genetic polymorphism in plants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the genetic diversity and relationships among 42 mulberry (Morus alba) genotypes from diverse geographical origins.
• To explore the potential of ISSR markers for classifying mulberry genotypes and identifying hybridization patterns.
• To investigate the correlation between mulberry genotypes and disease resistance.

Main Methods:

• Genetic polymorphism analysis was conducted on 42 mulberry genotypes using 17 ISSR primers.
• A similarity matrix was generated to construct a dendrogram for genotype clustering.
• Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to further analyze and visualize genetic relationships.

Main Results:

• A high percentage of polymorphic bands (96.57%) was observed across the 42 genotypes.
• Analysis indicated low overall genetic diversity in mulberry, with average Nei's index of 0.116 and Shanon's index of 0.174.
• Cluster analysis and PCA results were consistent, grouping genotypes and revealing potential hybridized combinations.

Conclusions:

• ISSR markers effectively revealed genetic relationships and low diversity among the studied mulberry genotypes.
• The findings support the application of ISSR in understanding mulberry hybridization and classifying germplasm.
• A notable link between mulberry diseases and specific genotypes suggests potential for using ISSR in disease resistance studies.