ABSTRACT
The study of genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships is essential for the efficient selection of superior plant material and conducting introgression breeding programs. In Iran, despite the wide geographical distribution of grasses no report is available on the genetic diversity and relationships of cool season grass populations. In this study amplified fragment length polymorphism [AFLP] was used to study 42 populations from eight species of Festuca arundinacea Schereb., Festuca. pratensis Huds., Festuca. rubra L., Festuca. ovina L., Lolium perenne L., L. rigidum Gaud., Bromus tomentellus Boiss. and Agropyron cristatum [L] Gaertn. The number of amplified products ranged from 11 to 78 per primer combination and a total of 497 markers were scored. Jaccard's genetic similarity coefficients among populations ranged from 0.15 to 0.88 showing high levels of inter and intra-specific genetic diversity. The cluster analysis and principle coordinate analysis [PCOA] reflected the phylogenetic relationships among species and clearly demonstrated differences in the degree of similarity among accessions. Results indicated that AFLP is a useful technique to reveal genetic diversity at different taxonomic levels of grasses and might facilitate the selective introgression of useful genes in plant breeding programs