Evaluation of genetic diversity in durum wheat genotypes (Triticum turgidum var. durum) using ISSR markers

The present study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity within a set of 16 advanced lines of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) using 9 ISSR primers. A total of 73 polymorphic fragments were scored with average 8.1 polymorphic bands per primer. Cluster analysis using UPGMA method and Dice similarity coefficient categorized the genotypes into 4 separated groups. Estimates of genetic similarity ranged from 0.34 to 0.86 with an average of 0.68. The frequency distribution of genetic distance between pairs of accessions based on marker data indicates a normal distribution. The results showed a considerable polymorphism among durum advanced lines, reflecting the efficiency of ISSRs in the assessment of the genetic diversity.