Genetic relationships of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon) from different countries revealed by sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) analysis

Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] germplasm is genetically diverse and widely distributed between 45 degrees N and 45 degrees S latitudes in the world. This study was conducted to assess genetic variation and relatedness of 33 Chinese accessions of common bermudagrass (C. dactylon var. dactylon) and 22 cultivars developed in China, Australia and the USA by sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. 30 primer combinations generated a total of 274 clearly scorable bands encompassing 268 that were polymorphic. Percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) for the domestic and introduced accessions was 93 and 83%, respectively. Cluster analysis by unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) based on the polymorphic markers indicated three distinct clusters. Genetic similarity coefficient (GSC) among the genotypes ranged from 0.57 to 0.97. Genetic diversity estimate, He, for the domestic and introduced accessions were 0.26 and 0.24, respectively. The results of this molecular characterization will be valuable for breeding new bermudagrass cultivars in the future.