Genetic diversity of Prunus armeniaca L. var. ansu Maxim. germplasm revealed by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

The genetic diversity and genetic structure of P. armeniaca var. ansu were analyzed based on SSR markers. The aim was to provide scientific basis for conservation, efficient utilization, molecular marker assisted breeding and improved variety selection of P. armeniaca var. ansu germplasm resources. The results showed that the level of genetic diversity within the population was high. Among the 30 SSR markers, the mean number of observed alleles was 11.433, the mean number of effective alleles was 4.433, the mean of Shannon information index was 1.670, and the mean of polymorphic information content was 0.670. Among the eight provenances, Tuanjie Township, Xinyuan County, Xinjiang had the highest genetic diversity. The observed alleles, effective alleles, Shannon information index and Nei’s gene diversity index among provenances were higher than those within provenances. Based on Bayesian mathematical modeling and UPGMA cluster analysis, 86 P. armeniaca var. ansu accessions were divided into three subpopulations and four groups, which reflected individual differences in provenances. Subpopulations classified by Bayesian mathematical modeling and groups classified by UPGMA cluster analysis were significantly correlated with geographical provenance (Sig<0.01) and the provenances significantly impacted classification of groups. The provenances played an important role in classification of groups. The genetic distance between Tuanjie Township of Xinyuan County and Alemale Township of Xinyuan County was the smallest, while the genetic relationship between them was the closest and the degree of genetic differentiation was small.