Assessment genetic diversity among some Egyptian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars using RAPD markers

Abstract

Genetic diversity was investigated among seven bread wheat varieties originated from Egypt by 17 RAPD markers and twelve agronomic traits. The RAPD markers were capable of detecting 62 alleles with an average of 3.64 alleles per marker. The number of alleles per marker ranged from 3 to 6 and the allelic polymorphism information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.571 for the OPA-07, OPO-03 and OPO-12  to 0.816 for the OPA-01 with an average of 0.681. The results revealed that the varieties differed for RAPD markers and agronomic traits. The significant correlation coefficient between gene diversity and the number of polymorphic bands was high, r = 0.733 (P <0.01). Cluster analysis was conducted based on RAPD to group the wheat varieties and construct a dendrogram. Three main groups were distinguished by RAPD. RAPD markers showed a high level of polymorphism among the varieties examined. The present study indicates that RAPD markers could be successfully used in genetic characterization and diversity in wheat. Also, Information generated from this study can be used to select parents for hybrid development to maximize yield and its components.