MOLECULAR EVALUATION OF D GENOME BASED DOUBLE HAPLOID MAPPING POPULATION OF WHEAT USING SSR PRIMERS

Abstract

A molecular diversity analysis of 20 double haploid (DH) plants from a double haploid
Mapping Population (MP, its parents, i.e., Opata M-85 (drought susceptible, 2n=6x=42) and a
Synthetic Hexaploid (SH-257, 2n=6x=42, drought tolerant) and local drought tolerant cultivars
Nesser, Zarghoon and Margalla was carried out using simple sequence repeats (SSR) primers
designed for D genome of Wheat. A total of 59 SSR primers yielded a total of 177 polymorphic
bands in the size ranged from 50 to 900 bp. Cluster analyses demonstrated that the genotypes from
MP were genetically distinct from local drought tolerant cultivars and its parents Opata M-85 and
SH-257. The 7 best DHs of the mapping population with ample genetic distance were 2 (85.80%),
9 and 15 (74.19%), 18 and 20 (66.67%), 1 (63.00%) and 14 (62.31%) and the genetic distance of
these DHs was almost similar or better than the genetic distance of SH-257 (65.20%). Genetic
distance of local drought tolerant cultivars; Nesser (42.17%), Margalla-99 (42.17%) and Zarghoon
(58.49%) was less than SH-257(65.20%). Opata M-85 with genetic distance of 83.49% was found
to be distinct from SH-256 and its population. Ample diversity in double haploid mapping
populations of wheat can be of tremendous use for wheat improvement.