Genetic diversity at trait linked DNA marker loci in Moroccan durum wheat varieties

Abstract

Oral Presentation in Troisième edition du Congrès International Amélioration de la Production Agricole (APA3) Settat, Morocco 17-18 Mar 2011

Better end-use. quality, pests and disease resistance are the priorities of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) breeding program. The objective of this study was to understand diversity at DNA marker loci linked to agronomic traits such as end use quality, pests and disease resistance in 30 durum wheat varieties. Durum wheat varieties were planted under greenhouse, and total genomic DNA was extracted from fresh leaves of a single plant using a modified CTAB protocol. PCR-Amplification was carried out using primers of the linked markers developed for low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS; coded by Glu-B3 genes), high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS; coded by GluBI genes), Gamma-gliadin type 45 and 42 (coded by genes at the Gli-B I loci), the Hessain fly resistance and rust resistance. Allele profiles were used to calculate the number of alleles per locus, their frequency, genetic diversity, polymorphism information content (PIC), genetic distance and relationships (upGMA Cluster analysis) among the varieties. The results suggest that there is a substantial diversity at the loci among the durum wheat cultivars and some of the marKerS showed relationships with the phenotype. These markers are useful for marker-aSsisted selection in durum wheat breeding program.