ISSR Analysis for Determination of Genetic Diversity and Relationship in Eight Turkish Olive (Olea europaea L.) Cultivars

Olive cultivar identification is very important especially for fruit productivity and olive oil quality. Up to date, numerous techniques have been used for characterization of olive cultivars and detection of generic variability. In the present study, 40 clones specific to Turkey (8 cultivars, each having 5 clones) were assessed for cultivar determination via inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker systems using 10 ISSR primers. In total, 217 band profiles were obtained, 206 of which were polymorphic (94.9% polymorphism). The cultivars were segregated into two main clusters, each cluster being subdivided into two groups, while all the clones of a cultivar belong to the same main cluster. The only exception was the distribution of the clones of cultivar Tekir Tekir 2' and 'Tekir 3' on cluster III, while `Tekir 4' and Tekir 5' were on cluster IV, therefore grouped into different main clusters. In the present study, ISSR analysis displayed a high level of generic variability among Turkish olive cultivars, indicating a potential resource for the use of this germplasm in clonal selection programs.