Morphological and molecular characterization of some pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) genotypes collected from Erzincan province of Turkey

Plant genetic resources constitute the most valuable assets of countries. It is of great importance to determine the genetic variation among these resources and to use the data in breeding studies. To determine the genetic diversity among genotypes of Cucurbita pepo L. species of pumpkin, which is widely grown in Erzincan, 29 different pumpkin genotypes collected were examined based on the morphological parameters and molecular characteristics. SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers were used to determine genetic diversity at the molecular level. The analysis of morphological characterization within genotypes showed a wide variability in morphological traits of plant, flower, fruit, and leaf. In the evaluation performed using SSR markers, all primers exhibited polymorphism rate of %100. Seven SSR markers yielded a total of 15 polymorphic bands, the number of alleles per marker ranged from 2 to 3, and the mean number of alleles was 2.14. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.06 (GMT-M61) to 0.247 (GMT-P41), and the mean PIC value per marker was 0.152. Cluster analysis using Nei's genetic distance determined that 29 genotypes were divided into 4 major groups. The present findings have revealed the genetic diversity among pumpkin genotypes collected from Erzincan province and may form the basis for further breeding studies in pumpkin.