Genetic variation among quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) genotypes sampled from the Coruh valley in Turkey.

Turkey has very rich quince genetic resources, and the country currently dominates world quince production. In particular, the northeastern part of the country has notable Cydonia oblonga Mill. germplasm. Authenticating the identity of germplasm resources of C. oblonga Mill. would be of great value for breeding practices. In the present study, genetic variations of 14 C. oblonga Mill. genotypes sampled from the Coruh valley of Turkey were investigated. Ten random primers generated 53 DNA markers. The highest polymorphism ratio was observed in the OPA07 primer (86%), while the lowest was observed in OPA03 (29%). The percentage of polymorphic bands was 51%, which demonstrated the efficiency of the primers used. The similarity matrix revealed that the similarity among genotypes ranged between 0.42 and 0.96. The identified random amplified polymorphic DNA markers enabled clear discrimination among all genotypes considered.

Molecular and morphological characterization of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes sampled from Coruh Valley in Turkey.

The pomegranate is one of the oldest fruits that are traditionally consumed by the local inhabitants of the Coruh Valley, Turkey. In this study, the molecular and morphological characteristics of 19 promising pomegranate genotypes selected from the Coruh Valley were evaluated. For the morphological evaluation, 22 quantitative fruit characteristics were used. For the molecular evaluation, 47 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used for polymerase chain reaction analysis. The principle component analysis of 22 quantitative fruit characteristics revealed that fruit weight and skin color are dominant traits for genotype discrimination. The unweighted average distance cluster of fruit characteristics revealed 3 distinct groups. Among the 47 RAPD primers, 9 exhibited reliable polymorphic patterns, and generated a total of 63 RAPD bands, of which 49.2% were polymorphic. The similarity matrix showed that the highest (0.920) and lowest (0.556) genetic similarities occurred between the APS13 and APS28 genotypes and the APS12 and APS42 genotypes, respectively. We determined clear discrepancies between the morphological and molecular data; consequently, the differences obtained among genotypes for fruit characteristics did not support genetic relationships among genotypes. In conclusion, molecular data provided the most reliable results at the DNA level.

Genetic relationships between selected Turkish mulberry genotypes (Morus spp) based on RAPD markers.

Mulberry (Morus spp, Moraceae) is an important horticultural crop in Turkey, which is one of the main world producers of mulberry fruit. We evaluated the genetic relationships among 26 mulberry genotypes selected for agronomic characteristics, using RAPD markers. A total of 367 DNA markers were generated with 34 random primers. The highest genetic similarity (0.80) was observed between Oltu58 (M. nigra) and Olur90 (M. nigra) genotypes. The genotypes Oltu3 (M. alba) and Oltu18 (M. rubra) were the most distant (0.36). We found that the RAPD technique is a useful tool to discriminate mulberry genotypes at both the intra- and interspecific level. This type of information will aid in accurate identification of useful genotypes for breeding programs.

Genetic variation among date plum (Diospyros lotus) genotypes in Turkey.

Turkey is one of the most important genetic resources of the date plum, Diospyros lotus, especially in the northeastern part of the country. Authenticating the identity of germplasm resources of D. lotus would be of great value for breeding. We examined the genetic variability of 11 D. lotus genotypes sampled from Coruh Valley in Turkey. One hundred and twenty-eight DNA markers were generated by 12 random primers. The highest polymorphism ratio was observed with the primer OPA-01 (71%) while the lowest was with OPY-01 (36%). The band size was between 350 and 2500 bp for these primers. The percentage of polymorphic bands was 58%, which demonstrated the efficiency of these primers. The similarity between genotypes ranged from 0.48 to 0.76. The RAPD markers permitted us to distinguish all the genotypes.

An assessment of genetic variability and relationships among wild-grown blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) plants based on RAPD markers.

Prunus spinosa, blackthorn, exists as wild populations that inhabit uncultivated uplands of Coruh Valley in the northeastern part of Turkey; the fruit is used to make preserves. We examined genetic diversity in wild-grown Prunus spinosa; 16 individual plants from wild populations of Coruh Valley were sampled and subjected to RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) analysis. We tested 51 random decamer primers; 15 of them gave reproducible polymorphic patterns. These 15 primers produced 226 bands, of which 65% were polymorphic. A UPGMA dendrogram clearly divided the genotypes into four groups; we concluded that RAPD analysis can be used for examining genetic relatedness among blackthorn genotypes.

Identification of Turkish and standard apple rootstocks by morphological and molecular markers.

Two local (Vezir-1 and Vezir-2) and two standard (M9 and MM106) clonal apple rootstocks were compared using both morphological and molecular markers. International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants criteria were used for morphological evaluation, which did not clearly separate these rootstocks. We tested 47 random decamer primers for random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis; 15 of them gave reproducible polymorphic patterns, yielding 109 bands, which showed 78% polymorphism. Based on a dendrogram obtained by unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average analysis, three clusters were obtained. The highest genetic similarities were found between M9 and Vezir-2 (0.670). The random amplified polymorphic DNA markers proved to be more efficient than the standard morphological markers for the identification of rootstocks.