Tolerance evaluation and genetic relationship analysis among some economically important chestnut cultivars in Türkiye using drought-associated SSR and EST-SSR markers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate drought tolerance and genetic relationships among some important chestnut cultivars for Türkiye by using drought-related genomic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and genic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Using five SSR markers, the average number of alleles (avNa), mean heterozygosity (Havp) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were determined to be 9.22, 0.395 and 0.375, respectively. In addition, using eight EST-SSR markers, the values of avNa, Havp and PIC were determined to be 7.75, 0.309 and 0.262, respectively. All microsatellite markers used in this study showed 100% polymorphism among chestnut cultivars. In UPGMA dendrograms obtained with both SSR and EST-SSR markers, the Erfelek and Haciömer chestnut cultivars were determined to be the most similar cultivars. Some assessments are discussed regarding drought tolerance for specific alleles obtained from the EST-SSR markers GOT045, GOT021, GOT004, FIR094 and VIT033 in chestnut cultivars. Some preliminary results regarding drought tolerance in chestnut cultivars were obtained in our study with the help of these markers. Our study also characterized the genetic relationships among chestnut cultivars of great importance using drought-related character-specific markers.

Use of retrotransposon based iPBS markers for determination of genetic relationship among some Chestnut Cultivars (Castanea sativa Mill.) in Türkiye.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to reveal the genetic relationships among some economically important chestnut cultivars for Türkiye by using retrotransposon-based inter primer binding site (iPBS) markers. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, a total of 19 iPBS markers were used to determine the genetic relationships among 11 chestnut cultivars (Castanea sativa Mill.). In the study, chestnut cultivars named Haciömer, Osmanoglu, Sariaslama, Erfelek, Kemer, Isiklar, Sekerci, Siyah Bursa, Tülü, Bouche De Betizac and Marigoule were the preferred cultivars utilised. Using the online marker efficiency calculator (iMEC), some indices of polymorphism, such as the mean heterozygosity, polymorphism information content, marker index and discriminating power, were determined. In addition, the size ranges of alleles, number of average alleles, number of total alleles, number of polymorphic alleles, and polymorphism rate were determined at a successful level. The chestnut cultivars of Haciömer and Sekerci were determined to be the most similar cultivars with a similarity coefficient value of 0.924, and they formed a subgroup together with the chestnut cultivars Osmanoglu and Erfelek, showing close similarity with these two cultivars. CONCLUSIONS: The use of iPBS markers in chestnuts in Türkiye was carried out for the first time in this study. The power of iPBS markers to evaluate the genetic relationship for our preferred chestnut cultivars was revealed. For this reason, it has emerged that it will be useful in the molecular characterization of both genotypes in natural chestnut populations and chestnut breeding materials such as varieties and cultivars in chestnut breeding programs.

Genome-wide association links candidate genes to fruit firmness, fruit flesh color, flowering time, and soluble solid content in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.).

BACKGROUND: Apricots originated from China, Central Asia and the Near East and arrived in Anatolia, and particularly in their second homeland of Malatya province in Turkey. Apricots are outstanding summer fruits, with their beautiful attractive color, delicious sweet taste, aroma and high vitamin and mineral content. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the current study, a total of 259 apricots genotypes from different geographical origins in Turkey were used. Significant variations were detected in fruit firmness (FF), fruit flesh color (FFC), flowering time (FT), and soluble solid content (SSC). A total of 11,532 SNPs based on DArT were developed and used in the analyses of population structure and association mapping (AM). According to the STRUCTURE (v.2.2) analysis, the apricot genotypes were divided into three groups. The mixed linear model with Q and K matrixes were used to detect the associations between the SNPs and four traits. A total of 131 SNPs were associated with FF, FFC and SSC. No SNP marker was detected associated with FT. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that AM had high potential of revealing the markers associated with economically important traits in apricot. The SNPs identified in the study can be used in future breeding programs for marker-assisted selection in apricot.

Genetic characterization of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes by AFLP markers.

The Coruh Valley, located in Northeastern Turkey, is one of the most important centers of diversity in pomegranate in Turkey. In this study, we attempted to characterize 19 promising pomegranate genotypes originating from the Coruh Valley in using fluorescent dye AFLP markers and capillary electrophoresis. Four AFLP primer combinations were used, generating a total of 297 fragments, 213 of which were polymorphic (73.0%). Resolving powers of the AFLP primers ranged from 0.700 to 1.018, with a total of 3.440, while polymorphism information contents ranged from 0.707 to 0.837 with an average of 0.764. UPGMA clustering of the genotypes showed two major groups. Most of the fruit characteristics of the genotypes within the same group were variable. Therefore, the results showed that molecular characterization is necessary to get reliable relationships among pomegranate genotypes and AFLP markers can be used effectively in pomegranate.

Genetic characterization of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes by AFLP markers

The Coruh Valley, located in Northeastern Turkey, is one of the most important centers of diversity in pomegranate in Turkey. In this study, we attempted to characterize 19 promising pomegranate genotypes originating from the Coruh Valley in using fluorescent dye AFLP markers and capillary electrophoresis. Four AFLP primer combinations were used, generating a total of 297 fragments, 213 of which were polymorphic (73.0%). Resolving powers of the AFLP primers ranged from 0.700 to 1.018, with a total of 3.440, while polymorphism information contents ranged from 0.707 to 0.837 with an average of 0.764. UPGMA clustering of the genotypes showed two major groups. Most of the fruit characteristics of the genotypes within the same group were variable. Therefore, the results showed that molecular characterization is necessary to get reliable relationships among pomegranate genotypes and AFLP markers can be used effectively in pomegranate.

Antioxidant activities and fatty acid composition of wild grown myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) fruits.

The fruits of eight myrtles, Myrtus communis L. accessions from the Mediterranean region of Turkey were evaluated for their antioxidant activities and fatty acid contents. The antioxidant activities of the fruit extracts were determined by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assays. The fatty acid contents of fruits were determined by using gas chromatography. The methanol extracts of fruits exhibited a high level of free radical scavenging activity. There was a wide range (74.51-91.65%) of antioxidant activity among the accessions in the beta-carotene-linoleic acid assay. The amount of total phenolics (TP) was determined to be between 44.41-74.44 mug Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/mg, on a dry weight basis. Oleic acid was the dominant fatty acid (67.07%), followed by palmitic (10.24%), and stearic acid (8.19%), respectively. These results suggest the future utilization of myrtle fruit extracts as food additives or in chemoprevention studies.

Phenolic and antioxidant diversity among persimmon (Diospyrus kaki L.) genotypes in Turkey.

The amount of research on the healthy benefits of fruits has increased in recent years. The objective of the present study is to determine the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of 18 selected persimmon genotypes. The genotypes were established in a collection parcel at the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute, Samsun, Turkey. The beta-carotene bleaching method was used to determine antioxidant activity and the Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method to determine total phenolics in persimmon fruits. The total phenolic content in fruits, estimated as gallic acid equivalents, ranged from 15.7 mg/g dry weight for 08 TH 12 to 42.3 mg/g gallic acid equivalent for the 08 TH 10 genotype. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in 08 TH 10 as 91.6%, while the lowest was in 14 TH 01 (51.7%), respectively. The antioxidant activities of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene were 93.4% and 91.8%, respectively. A low correlation (R = 0.711) was obtained between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity among genotypes. The results indicate that antioxidant activity in persimmon fruits is strongly affected by genotype.

Genetic diversity in grapevine germplasm resources in the Coruh valley revealed by RAPD markers.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis was carried out in 35 autochthonous table grapevine cultivars grown in Coruh valley. Fifty-five oligonucleotide primers were screened on cultivars, and among them, 12 primers showed clear polymorphic patterns. PCR amplification with 12 primers generated a total of 157 polymorphic bands. There was genetic variation among the cultivars with values of genetic diversity ranging from 0.19 to 0.72 using the Jaccard coefficient. UPGMA analysis of the distance matrix resulted in a dendrogram with two main clusters. The first cluster included 28 cultivars and the second 7 cultivars. The greatest genetic similarity was observed between cultivars Gah and Kolik, while the greatest dissimilarity was observed between cultivars Gah and Siyah Kus Uzumu. The dendrogram revealed that the cultivars present in Coruh valley can be distinguished to a relatively high degree.