SRAP markers as a tool for the assessment of genetic diversity in Cucurbita spp.

Cucurbita spp. is one of economically the most important genus in Cucurbitaceae. In this study, to determine the level of genetic diversity, a total of 48 genotypes belong four species have been collected from different parts of the world and were analyzed using Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Twenty-four primer pairs generated a total of 337 polymorphic bands. Average polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.23. A dissimilarity matrix was prepared by using SRAP data based on Dice coefficient. Dissimilarity matrix was used to construct a dendrogram using the Neighbor-Joining cluster analysis to determine genetic relationships among the studied genotypes. Cophenetic correlation between similarities of tree and the dissimilarity matrix was r = 0.99, P < 0.0001. In the Neighbor-Joining dendrogram based on the Dice's coefficient the genotypes clustered into four major groups. This study revealed the utility of SRAP markers in detecting genetic diversity between the collected genotypes and provide basis for future efficient use of these molecular markers in the genetic analysis of other members of Cucurbitaceae.